Treasure
by Staryday
Summary: COMPLETERiku and Sora are orphans who have finally found a way home. But can they get their with pirates chasing them constantly? And is the home they're going to really worth the one they just left? Or is something more going on behind the scenes?RS,AR,C
1. A Real Family

**Starting Date: July 3rd 2005**

**A/N: Yes, this will be slash and no there will be no character bashing. Like Kairi, for instance. I'm not a Kairi fan at all, but seriously, I'm so tired of reading stories that have her being such a huge bitch. Some bashing is fine with me, but people are taking it way too far, it's freaking ridiculous. And yes, I'm in a bad mood. You'd never guess from the writing though.**

**Chapter One: A Real Family**

"Riku! Riku!"

A silver haired teen looked up from the work he was doing to see a brunette running towards him, grinning widely. The chocolate haired boy stopped in front of the other and panted, slightly out of breath.

"Hey Sora," Riku smiled. "What's going on?"

"There's a new ship that just docked in the bay," Sora explained. "The boss wants everyone there to help unload it. I guess the captain's really rich or something."

Sora and Riku worked as dock hands for one of the largest shipping companies on the coast. It was hard work, but paid well.

"All right," Riku agreed. He turned and called out to a spiky haired red head. "Hey Wakka! The boss wants us down at the docks, finish getting these boxes to the blacksmith for me, will ya?"

The red head named Wakka nodded and yelled that he would. Sora and Riku then took off running, silently trying to beat the other to the docks. When they arrived, unloading had already begun under the watchful ship and dock master's eyes. The dock master saw the boys run up and immediately shouted orders at them.

"Took you brats long enough," the man called. "Riku, get below deck and start bringing the stuff up top. Sora, start helping getting everything on shore."

"Aye, aye, boss!" Sora called happily. Riku rolled his eyes before bidding farewell to his friend and getting to work.

* * *

They worked the rest of the afternoon before finally finishing unloading everything. The dock-master gave them their pay and the two teens vanished into the town.

They were wandering around as Sora stopped and ogled a beautiful sword displayed in the blacksmiths window. Its' handle was polished bronze and the blade was coated with silver and sharp enough to cut off your finger just by touching it. Riku stopped and waited for Sora to snap out of his daze. This was a daily ritual for them; they would walk past the shop and Sora would stop and stare at the sword longingly.

"Come on, Sora," Riku finally called, getting impatient. "We've got to get back or Kairi will have our heads."

"I'm gonna get it, Riku," Sora stated, ignoring his best friend's comment. "I swear, someday, I'm going to buy this sword."

Riku sighed, slumping his shoulders. "You say that everyday, Sora."

"So? It's true, I already have half the money saved up, it won't be long before I have the rest of it saved too," Sora informed the older boy.

"And what then?" Riku demanded. "Sora, you can't even use a sword, what good will it do you to have one?"

"I can't, but you can," Sora countered. "You could teach me!"

Riku sighed. "You're hopeless, you know?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora yelled, curling his hands into fists.

Riku just laughed. "Come on, let's go." He started to head in the direction of their house. Sora pouted and took on last longing look at the sword before running after his best friend.

* * *

They arrived back at their small house to see Tidus lounging on the porch next to Wakka. Riku and Sora walked up to them and joined them in them lazing around.

"How was it?" Tidus asked the two, referring to their work.

"Fine, the boss was in a good mood today so we got paid early," Riku told him. "How was your day?"

"Boring," Tidus exclaimed. "I swear, I can not take another day of being stuck here with just the girls."

"That's what you get for thinking you could jump off the roof and not get hurt," Riku shrugged. "You have no one to blame but yourself."

Tidus had been working on the roof a few days ago. There was a hole on it and needed to be fixed. When Kairi had called everyone in for dinner, he had decided to simply jump from the roof instead of using a ladder. He had fallen and sprained his ankle; he was lucky he hadn't broken it. The doctor had told him to stay off of it for a couple weeks, stranding Tidus at home with the girls.

"Oh shut up, Riku," Tidus grumbled. Sora and Wakka laughed just as the door opened a hyper girl bounced out.

"Hey! There you two are!" Selphie gushed. "Now we can eat!" She bounced happily back into the house and the four boys got up and followed.

"Hey Kai," Sora greeted, placing a light kiss on his adopted sister's cheek.

"Hey Sora, hey Riku," Kairi smiled. "Have a good day?"

"Yup!" Sora nodded. "Here, we got paid early today." He handed over half of his earnings, Riku did the same.

"Great, we need to go shopping soon," Kairi commented, taking their money. "Things have been tight since Tidus hasn't been able to work." Tidus sank in his chair and sulked. "And someone has to get up on the roof and finish fixing it," she continued. "We're supposed to get a huge storm this weekend."

"I'll do it after we finish eating," Riku volunteered.

"Great," Kairi nodded and placed dinner in front of everyone.

Their dinner wasn't much; potatoes with butter and a bowl of soup, today it was chicken. The six friends had been living together since they were young. Wakka, Tidus and Selphie's parents had died out at sea when the ship they were on was sunk by a storm. Kairi had been abandoned when she was a baby and Riku and Sora had never met or heard of their parents. They didn't even know their names.

Although it got hard at times, especially during the colder months, the six had been living in their beat up little home for almost all their lives. The townspeople all knew them and their stories and were very kind to the orphans. They would often help out when things got too hard. Like when Tidus had gotten hurt, they didn't have the money for the doctor, but the doctor had just asked that one of them come and help around his business sometimes in payment.

Despite their somewhat depressing pasts, the five teens were all very happy with their lives. They had everything they needed and friends to share it with. They ate their dinner and Selphie and Kairi washed everything up. Sora and Wakka ran off to town to goof off while Riku went to finish fixing up the roof.

* * *

That night, the five friends were sitting outside, looking up at the sky. Sora and Wakka were laying on the ground while everyone else was on the porch or the porch steps. The sky was perfectly clear and it was a full moon that night.

"It's your turn, Sora," Kairi called happily.

Sora put on a thoughtful face. "Um…I see…a…a giant cookie!"

"Sora, you're supposed to be finding shapes in the stars, not the moon," Riku rolled his eyes.

"How did you know he was talking about the moon?" Wakka demanded.

"Yeah, how'd you know I was talking about the moon, Ri-ku?" Sora pouted.

"Because you were, So-ra," Riku replied.

This was a favorite game of the kids; they would sit outside on warm and clear nights and look up at the stars. They would take turns, trying to find different shapes in the star patterns, then telling the others what they saw and everyone else had to find it. It was something they'd done since the five were little kids.

"Fine, fine," Sora grumbled. "Then I see…" He looked around and smirked. "A sword."

"The point of it is the end star of the big dipper," Riku replied immediately, pointing at it with his finger. The others found it a second later, once Riku pointed it out.

"No fair, Riku," Sora pouted. "How come you can always find mine?"

"'Cause I know how you think," Riku smirked and Sora pouted some more.

It was true; Riku and Sora had always been together. Where you found one, the other was always right behind. They had known each other longer then any of the others and it had actually been Sora and Riku who found and fixed up this house for everyone. The two were inseparable and knew each other inside and out.

"Fine then," Sora glared. "It's your turn now, Riku."

"All right," Riku agreed. "I see…a bird."

"A bird?" The others echoed and began searching the sky.

"Its wing is off the tip of my sword," Sora replied smartly. "You're not the only one who knows how the other thinks." Riku frowned at him.

"All right, we're done," Kairi interrupted. When Sora and Riku started finding things that quickly like this, it was time to stop and go to bed. "We've all got work tomorrow and should have been asleep hours ago."

The other four grumbled in annoyance but didn't argue. Kairi was like a mother to all of them; she was the one who kept track of everything and everyone. It was rather interesting, how they seemed to all fit together perfectly, like an actual family. Kairi was the mother, Riku was the protective older brother, Tidus was the risk-taking brother, Wakka was the laid back one, almost like a kind father figure, while Selphie and Sora were the two youngest that everyone looked out for. Selphie because she was a cute girl and Sora because his curiosity got him into too much trouble at times. Though, when that happened, Riku was always there to bail him out.

The five got up, Riku helping Tidus as they all went inside. Sora stopped and looked back at the moon; he was surprised to see a cloud covering it. Half the cloud crossed over the moon and the other half was beneath it.

"Ah," Wakka nodded, seeing what Sora was gazing at. "A broken cloud passes over a bright moon."

Sora turned to him. "Huh?"

"It's said when a broken cloud passes over the moon like that, it's a foreshadowing of dark things to come," Wakka explained mysteriously.

"Really?" Sora asked, looking wide-eyed.

"Wakka, stop scaring Sora with your old wives-tales," Riku called. "He'll believe you, you know."

"Shut up, Riku!" Sora yelled. "I would not!"

"Whatever," Riku laughed, waving a dismissive hand at them.

"Come on, you three," Kairi yelled. "Bed, now!"

"Coming," they all chorused back. Wakka and Riku went inside and after looking once more at the moon, Sora followed quickly after.

Yes, as the five climbed into their beds that night, it was obvious to all they were indeed, a family.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, yeah, I know. I shouldn't be starting another fic. But I'm totally stuck on all my other ones. DHLL is a pain because I can't get the stupid scene right, FD is annoying 'cause I can't think of anything good and I'm not in the mood to write the final lemon for Model Me. Not to mention none of my favorite stories will update so I'm suffering from major Riku/Sora withdrawal.**

**As for this fic, I suspect the updates will be pretty slow, just to warn you now. I've got an idea about what I want to happen, but not much more than that. I'm hoping that by working on this, it'll unclog my mind and I can get back to my other projects.**

**So please, let me know what you think so far. And if you have any ideas, don't be shy to tell them. I could really use some help on any of my fics at this point.**


	2. Steal My Life Away

**Chapter Two: He's Gone.**

Everything was happy the next few weeks for the six kids. (A/N: I made a typo last chapter; there are six kids, not five. Riku, Sora, Wakka, Tidus, Kairi and Selphie.) They went about their daily routine happily, not having too many concerns. Tidus was finally back on his feet and, true to his word, he helped out every Friday afternoon at the doctor's office to pay off his debt.

After much bugging, puppy-eyes, begging, pouting and downright embarrassing behavior, Sora finally got Riku to teach him sword fighting. But of course, since Riku was teaching Sora to fight, that meant he had to teach Tidus (who had been asking way longer then Sora) as well. This was one of the primary reasons Riku had kept saying no, that, and because he was lazy and didn't want to spend his free time from work teaching his friends how to use a sword.

But alas, poor Riku could only resist Sora's pout-of-unimaginable-cuteness for so long before finally caving. So the three were often found on their days off at the beach by the docks fighting each other with wooden swords so that no one would get hurt…too badly. Riku had a very powerful hit, after all.

Wakka, Selphie and Kairi enjoyed coming with them to the beach and watching Riku trying to teach the other two to fight. His method was pretty much showing them what to do once then attacking them until they got it right. A little inhumane, but it worked.

Whenever they got knocked down, Tidus would get angry and start cursing before getting up. Sora, on the hand, would get this really determined face and glare at Riku stubbornly. This supposedly angry look was ruined as each time they saw that face, Kairi and Selphie would burst into girly squeals and gush over how cute Sora looked like that. Sora would then blush a nice crimson color, effectively ruining the look.

Despite the setbacks, Sora and Tidus learned rather quickly. They were nowhere near Riku's level of skill, but at least they would now be able to defend themselves if they were ever attacked. The two had taken to sparing with each other when they could, for more practice. Sora usually won these bouts, but on occasion Tidus did pull off a move that won him the match.

They were all at the beach that day, watching as Sora and Tidus spared and Riku called out helpful hints or corrections from the sidelines. The two were evenly matched and no one was sure who was going to win, making it very entraining to watch. Unfortunately, before the fight could finish, Wakka called out and pointed to the water.

"What's that, ya?" He asked.

The boys stopped fighting and everyone turned see the sales of a ship appearing over the horizon. As they watched the ship got closer and even from this distance, the six kids could tell it was huge. Before they could speculate though, a young man appeared on the water dock near where they were standing.

"Sora, Riku," he yelled to them.

"What's up, John?" Riku asked, the teen looked a little flushed.

"That ship that's coming in," he said, waving at it. "It's coming in fast and we're supposed to get ready to load it up."

"Ok," Riku agreed. "If that's all, then why do you look so freaked?"

"…It's flying a pirate's flag," John answered and ran off.

"Wakka, Tidus, take Selphie and Kairi back to the house and stay there until we come home," Riku ordered. The two nodded and began leading the girls away.

"Be careful, you two," Kairi called. They smiled at her reassuringly but the smiles faded as soon as they were out of sight.

"You think we should worry?" Sora asked.

"No, not yet," Riku replied, as they headed towards the docks. "We've loaded pirates before. So long as we keep our heads down and do the work, it should be fine."

One reason the shipping company they worked for was so successful was because they served the pirates of the seas dutifully. The pirates got anything they wanted cheaper then everyone and were allowed to dock in the ports and venture into the cities when usually they were chased off by the royal navy. This way, the pirates got what they wanted, and the shipping company didn't have to worry about pirate attacks on their ships or towns.

While it may all work out fine, it made being a dock hand slightly dangerous when pirates came though. After all, who in their right mind would tell a pirate that they couldn't kill the dock hands for slipping up in some way? No, it was best to do your work as quickly as you could and then leave.

Riku and Sora joined the line of nervously waiting dock hands as the pirate ship sailed up. The flag was a picture of the skull and crossbones, but instead of being on black background, it was painted red. The men whispered and shifted nervously when they saw this.

"Riku…" Sora whispered.

"Shh," Riku ordered. "Just keep your head down and don't make eye contact with anyone."

It was rumored that the skull and crossbones placed upon a red flag was the mark of the deadliest pirate on the seas, Sephiroth. He had a whole fleet of ships under his command and it was also rumored that all of their flags were red because they had been dyed in the blood of the pirate's victims.

As soon as the ship was close enough, the ropes were thrown and it was tied off to the dock. A plank was lowered and Sora and Riku's boss stepped up it. A minute later, he was beckoned on the ship and disappeared. The workers waited anxiously for their boss to come back. He did a few minutes later and stepped up to them.

"All right," he called. "We're not unloading anything today, simply loading on new supplies and that's it." He then started ordering people to get certain things ready everything for loading.

The work went quickly as there wasn't the same amount of cheer that the dock hands usually had. Some pirates could be seen standing over the edge and watching, but no one dared looked up long enough to get a good look. They all wanted to keep their eyes in their sockets, thank you very much.

The hands had just finished reading everything and were about to start loading it onto the ship when they heard a loud yell. Not even a second later a body was thrown over the railing and into the water with a splash. Sora threw his pride to the wind and hurried to Riku's side. The other boy was frowning deeply and quietly, yet firmly, ordered Sora to stay close to him. The brunette obeyed.

Ignoring the fact that the pirates had just killed one of their men as best they could, the dock hands dutifully continued their work. They began loading the supplies onto the ship and spoke only when necessary. They were nearly finished when it happened.

Sora had done as Riku said and stayed close to him the best he could. But when Sora was on the deck dropping off one of the last crates, Riku was back on the docks already. The brunette placed the crate where it was supposed to go and turned to leave when he made the mistake of looking up.

His beautiful sapphire eyes locked with another pair of aquamarine colored eyes. For one fleeting moment, he thought he was staring at Riku, but Riku's eyes weren't nearly as cold and deadly as these were. The man was tall and muscular with the same silver hair as Riku's, only longer. Sora couldn't begin to guess how old the man was; he just seemed…timeless, eternal.

So caught up in staring was Sora, that he failed to realize that he had kept walking. He bumped hard into a person and fell down, landing painfully on his butt. Sora heard an enraged growl and slowly lifted his eyes up to see an angry looking pirate glaring hatefully at him. Sora gulped.

"Why you little brat," the man hissed. "How dare you run into me!"

Sora quickly stumbled to his feet and bowed his head submissively.

"I'm so sorry, sir," he apologized. "I wasn't paying attention and didn't mean to run into you." He had learned at an early age that kissing butt was the best way to get away from a pirate without harm.

"You had better be sorry, brat," the man growled. Sora thought he was going to let him go then, but apparently one of his buddies had other ideas.

"You should make the little cretin pay for that," another pirate yelled. "Teach the little bitch some respect."

The first pirate turned back to Sora with glare. "Nah, he's cute, but not my type." Sora gulped in fear and, not for the first time, thanked the gods that he was a boy. "Why don't you take him, Vincent?"

A man turned to spare a glance at them and for one terrifying moment, Sora thought Wakka's stories had come true and he was looking at a vampire. No one who supposedly traveled under the blistering hot sun on the open sea should be that pale. Heck, they shouldn't be pale at all.

"I do not want a scared little boy," he stated and turned away.

Before Sora could really stop himself, he spoke. "Who the hell you calling a little boy?" He snapped and instantly regretted it.

These people were pirates for goodness sake; they had just killed a person not even half and hour ago! Sora should not be provoking them; he should be groveling and running for his life! Well…perhaps not _groveling_, but definitely running.

"Well look at that," the second pirate sneered. "Looks like the little bitch has some spunk in him."

Oh, Sora had just dug himself into a very deep hole. Where was Riku?

Down on the dock, Riku let a breath of relief that the work was over and they could finally go home; he glanced around for Sora. The silver haired teen froze when he realized Sora hadn't followed him off the ship.

_Oh shit._

Riku looked up at the ship and quickly climbed back up the plank. He was horrified to see Sora surrounded by sneering and angry looking pirates. Without much thought, Riku jumped onto the deck and ran over to his friend.

"Excuse me, sirs," Riku bowed politely to the pirates once he had their attention. "The loading is done so my friend and I will be taking our leave now so that you make continue on with your business." He motioned Sora to his side and the younger boy went to him hurriedly.

"You're little friend here has disrespected us," the first pirate, the one Sora had run into, growled at Riku. Riku highly doubted the man knew what disrespected meant.

None the less, he didn't say anything. "I apologize then; Sora really doesn't understand when to _shut up_ sometimes." Which was true, and no one, not even Sora himself, would ever disagree with that statement.

"We'll take him," a deep cold voice interrupted their argument before more could be said.

Riku and Sora froze at the ice-like voice and turned around. Riku's eyes widen as he looked upon the older version of himself. He could have sworn he was looking into a future seeing mirror, like the ones in Wakka's fairy tales, except those types of things didn't exist and this guy did.

"I beg your pardon, sir," Riku asked, after getting over the shock of their similarities.

"I said we will keep him," the man answered, sounding annoyed at having to repeat himself.

"What?" Sora and Riku double-toned. Keep _Sora_?

Riku shook his head. "You can't keep Sora!" He exclaimed. This was not the right thing to say though, as Sephiroth turned a harsh glare, which sent shivers up Riku's spine, down upon him.

"I can do whatever I please," he stated coldly. "Vincent, take my new possession down below and prepare to leave."

The vampire-man from earlier nodded and stood up. He headed towards Sora but Riku was not giving up that easily.

"No!" He yelled at the other's retreating back. "Look, I'm sorry he bumped into your crewmate, but come on! It's not that big of a deal! You can't just take him!" Riku had completely forgotten all the rules about dealing with pirates in his fear of loosing Sora.

The man glared down at him. "Remove him from my ship and let us be off."

Before Riku could do anything, many pairs of hands were grabbing him and forcefully dragging him to the side. Sora called out to him and made a move to run to Riku's side, but the man, Vincent, caught his arm and held him back.

Riku thrashed at the pirates dragging him and managed to knock two of them down before they hurled him down the plank and he rolled to the docks. The pirates then pulled the plank up and cut the robes anchoring them and the ship began to sail away. Riku could hear Sora's shouts of his name but there was no way for him to follow the ship or get back on. He could only stare helplessly as they sailed away, Sora's shouts getting fainter.

Before they had completely left the dock, a small pouch of money was hurled over the railing and landed at Riku's feet, then the ship was out of the harbor and sailing to the open sea.

Riku stared after them, not acknowledging anything around him. The other dock hands hung their heads in despair; Riku and Sora's friendship was legendary. Things would never be the same with the happy little brunette gone, for Riku or any of them. Sora would truly be missed.

The sun started to sink beneath the horizon before Riku finally snapped out of his daze. He didn't bother to wipe away the tears that had escaped his eyes. The teen glared down at the sack of gold that had been thrown at his feet; payment for taking his Sora away from him.

What the hell? Did those damn pirates think he was property? That it was ok to take Sora away like that and leave nothing but a small sack of gold in his place? What was Riku going to tell Kairi and others? He had failed. Failed to protect his younger friend, the boy he had always been with. Riku couldn't remember a day he had not been with Sora and now he was supposed to accept the fact that the brunette was gone from his life forever?

Leaving the gold without a thought, Riku slowly headed back to his home. The home he and Sora had personally fixed up for everyone to live in. He arrived back just as the sun was about to disappear completely. Kairi and the others were standing on the porch, waiting for him anxiously.

"Riku!" Kairi shouted, as he walked up to the porch and stopped. "Thank goodness, we were getting so worried. Are you all right? You look like you were crying." She glanced around worriedly. "Riku…where's Sora?"

Riku said nothing as he felt hot tears sting his eyes again, but this time he refused to let them fall. He simply stared up at his family sadly, his eyes filled with grief and guilt.

Kairi swallowed hard, her hands starting to shake. "Riku, where's Sora?" She repeated.

The sun set completely, dousing them in darkness.

"He's gone."

And just like that, Riku's world came crashing down around him.

* * *

**A/N: Did you know there wasn't a single scene change in this entire chapter? Well, I ain't got much to say about anything right now. I started working on the next chapter for Forgetful Darkness today and the next chapter for Dying Happily, Living Lonely is half-way done (I think), so maybe I'll be updating them soon. Not this weekend, though, I have to work 12pm-9pm this Saturday, which I am NOT happy about. The fuckin pay isn't even worth it… **


	3. I Would Rather Die

**Edited December 3, 2005**

**Chapter Three: I Would Rather Die.**

Vincent dragged Sora down to where the crew cabins were kept. The brunette was kicking and fighting him at every turn. Though the other man was much stronger then the teen so all it really did was annoy Vincent.

"Will you please stop?" He snapped finally. And, to Vincent's great surprise, Sora did. "Thank you."

"I don't think I've ever heard a pirate say please and thank you," Sora commented, sounding a little awed.

"Then you can't have met many decent pirates," Vincent replied.

"There are decent pirates?" Sora sounded even more amazed.

"No."

"…Oh," now he simply sounded confused.

Vincent stopped in front of a door and pushed it open. The room was very small, it was smaller then his room back at home. There was a bed pressed against the back wall and a small dresser next to it at the foot. Other than that, the place was completely bare.

"What's this?" Sora asked.

"Where you'll be staying until further notice," Vincent replied stonily.

"But it's small," Sora whined. "And I don't want to stay here. I want to go back home."

"Too bad," the pirate answered and shoved him into the room. Sora tripped and fell face first on the bed. He was surprised to feel how soft the padding was, like feathers. Sora sat up and pressed the padding down experimentally. Yes, it was definitely feathers.

"Wow, I've never slept in a feather bed before," Sora said, more to himself than Vincent. "That's something only the rich people have."

"The captain has expensive taste," Vincent offered, leaning against the wall casually.

"Captain?" Sora repeated, looking up at him curiously.

"The man who bought you, you're his now."

Sora blinked once as he absorbed this. "LIKE HELL I AM! I belong to no one! I'm not property or something!"

"When Captain Sephiroth wants something, he gets it," Vincent explained calmly, not fazed by Sora's outburst. "Even if what he wants is a person."

"But…but…what does he want with me?" Sora sniffed miserably.

Vincent shrugged. "You're cute."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?" Sora pouted.

Vincent raised an eyebrow at him; this kid didn't seem to understand the severity of his situation yet.

"You also look a lot like him," Vincent continued. "Though you're coloring is darker and you're smaller, but close enough."

"Him? Him who?" Sora asked curiously.

"The Captain's past lover."

"Oh," Sora's eyes suddenly widened. Vincent said that he was cute and that he looked like the Captain's past lover…so did that mean…? Sora gulped. "Um, why _exactly_ did he…um, buy me?"

"He's gone now," Vincent shrugged. "And the Captain can't very well continue taking care of himself when we're out to sea."

* * *

"We have to do something!" Tidus exclaimed, punching his fist into the wall hatefully. "We can't just let them take our Sora!"

Riku, Tidus, Selphie, Kairi, and Wakka were sitting in their kitchen. Wakka was doing his best to comfort the crying Kairi and Selphie while Tidus prowled around the kitchen angrily, like an animal trapped in a cage. Riku stood silently, his back to all of them as he stared unseeingly out the kitchen window.

"Calm down, man," Wakka ordered. "Punchin' the walls and yelling isn't going to get us anywhere, ya."

Tidus growled and flung himself into a table chair, placing his head dejectedly on the table. "I just can't accept that he's gone for good. We've all been though so much and we've never lost each other. I can't give him up."

"And we're not going to," Riku spoke in deathly calm voice. "Sora is our brother and there's no way in hell I'm leaving him to those bastard pirates."

"But what can we do?" Selphie cried. "We have no way to follow them and we don't know where they were heading."

"That might not be entirely true," Riku mused. "We didn't give them very many supplies, so they can't get very far without having to stop and get more."

"How long do you think their reserves will last, ya?" Wakka asked.

"Three weeks at most," Riku considered. "With a crew that large."

"So where can they go that's only three weeks away?" Tidus asked.

"We need a map of the sea routes," Riku decided. "The old map maker in town would be able to help us."

"Then let's go," Tidus agreed, standing up.

Riku nodded. "Wakka, stay here with the girls. We'll be back soon."

The two took off running to the town. The sun was just starting to reach the high point of the sky, meaning it was nearly noon. Riku and Tidus didn't stop running until they reached the map maker's shop and hurried inside, panting a bit for breath.

"**Shazou**!" Riku called, entering the shop. An old man appeared from the back rooms when he heard his name called.

"Ah, Riku, Tidus," Shazou nodded to them. "I must admit that I'm surprised to see you today. I would have thought you would have stayed home, grieving for your lost brother. Sora shall be dearly missed."

"We haven't given up on him yet, old man," Riku growled fiercely. "We need a map of the seas."

"Come now," Shazou frowned. "You boys can't very well be planning to chase after those pirates? They are some of the most blood-thirsty on the seven seas!"

"You think we don't know that?" Tidus yelled. "It's all the more reason to find Sora and get him back."

"But boys…"

"I will fight every single one of those bastards single-handedly if I have to," Riku hissed. "I'm not giving up on Sora."

Shazou looked between the two, who stared determinedly back at him. With a sigh, the old man nodded. He really didn't have the heart to tell them it was pointless.

"Far be it for me to stop you, then," he turned to a shelf behind him and pulled out a very beautifully done and detailed map. "This is my best map. My father gifted it to me his dying day. It has more passage ways then even the royal navy knows of. My father spent most his life charting the oceans, so you can trust everything on this map without fail."

Riku took it carefully and scanned over the intricate details of the drawings. "Thank you, Shazou. This means more then you know."

Shazou smiled. "I know you will take good care of it. And if it is to be used for such a noble cause as to find little Sora, then I don't mind giving it up."

"We'll find him," Riku nodded with conviction and Tidus added his agreement.

"Good luck then, boys."

They nodded and left the shop, running back home. Wakka and the girls were still waiting at the table when they arrived back. They had finally stopped crying, but their eyes still shown with unshed tears.

"Did you get it?" Wakka asked.

"Yeah, Shazou gave us his best," Riku replied, spreading the map on the table. "All right, there's only three major ports that they can make it to before their supplies run out." Everyone stood huddled over the map as Riku pointed. "Traverse Town is the farthest, then there's Wonderland and Deep Jungle port."

"Which one would they go to?" Kairi asked.

"Well…not Wonderland," Riku deduced. "The queen there is viciously scary and she hates pirates. The Deep Jungle is a relatively small port and it's well-known that it's supportive of the Navy."

"So Traverse Town, then?" Tidus guessed.

"Probably," Riku agreed. "Traverse Town is a refuge for everyone, pirates and normal citizens alike. They don't support the Navy or anyone, really. It's rumored to be a pretty rough place."

"Then that's probably where they're heading, ya?" Wakka nodded. "So, how do we get there now?"

"The only thing we can do is wait for the next ship to come to port and hope that we can buy passage on it," Riku shook his head. "According to the records, a navy cargo ship will be arriving within the week."

"But buying passage on a ship isn't cheap," Kairi pointed out. "We won't all be able to go."

"How much do we have?" Riku pressed.

"Probably enough for one person, that's it," Kairi answered. "But then whoever goes is going to need some money when they get there for food and a place to stay and all that."

"We'll deal with that later," Riku decided. "For now, we've got to find a way to get some more money. Kairi, Selphie, I'm going to have you guys go out with Wakka to find odd jobs you can do around the town. Tidus…you're going to take Sora's place at the docks. Also, things are going to be tight, no unnecessary money spending, got it?"

The others nodded in agreement as a bell rang off in the distance, signaling that it was noon.

"All right, we've got to go then," Riku said. "You three go and get whatever work you can find. Tidus, I'll take you to the dock master and explain that you'll be working in Sora's place until we get him back."

They nodded once in acceptance and soon the five teens were gone and trying to find work.

* * *

Sora was ordered to stay in the Captain's cabin until he was told he could come out. Vincent had warned him that his punishment would be very bad if he left the room. Though this scared Sora, it in no way stopped him from trying to escape. As soon as he couldn't hear Vincent's footsteps in the hall, Sora had jumped out of bed and headed to the door...only to find it locked. The brunette had banged his head on the door once, (almost hoping that it would magically open) before collapsing back onto the bed.

With nothing to do, Sora decided that he would go through the dresser. Why? No reason, he was just really bored. So crawling to the end of the bed, Sora began opening the draws and rummaging though them. The top one held nothing more then some fancy looking clothes, which Sora had no doubt, were stolen.

The middle two draws had clothes as well, but underneath the articles were weapons. They were nothing more then small daggers and even smaller throwing knives. Sora grabbed one and slid it into his sleeve, just in case, before closing the drawer and checking out the bottom ones.

The bottom had more clothes and underneath these was gold. Most of it was coins, but there was a beautiful pearl necklace and Sora took it out to examine it more closely. It was simple, but very expensive; Sora never thought he'd ever hold something that was worth more then his entire home.

"Enjoying yourself?" A cold voice remarked behind him. Sora jumped in surprise and dropped the necklace back into the draw, shutting it and turning around quickly. Standing in the doorway was the Riku-look alike, Sephiroth, Vincent had called him.

Sephiroth was faced with a sense of familiarity as he looked at Sora. _He_ had lookedthough his belongings as well, when Sephiroth had first brought him to his ship. He had reacted just the same too, when Sephiroth caught him.

"It's rude to go through one's belongings without permission," Sephiroth stated, closing the door.

Sora gulped. "Yeah…well it's rude to kidnap someone as well," he shot back.

"I didn't kidnap you," Sephiroth replied. "I paid that other boy a decent amount of gold."

Sora gaped at him. "That doesn't matter!" He shouted. "One, you can't just buy people, and two I wasn't for sale in the first place!"

"You're noisy," Sephiroth grumbled. _He_ had never made this much noise.

"So sorry to inconvenience you," Sora grumbled, crossing his arms and pouting. "Stupid pirate."

Sephiroth smirked and removed the long sword that was tied across his waist. He placed it on the dresser casually.

"You know, you shouldn't insult the person who holds your life in their hands," he commented, relaxed.

Sora eyed the long sword and scooted away from Sephiroth. He didn't get very far in the small room and only managed to back himself into the corner at the head of the bed. Sephiroth turned towards him and slowly crawled onto the bed as well, making Sora shrink back as close as he could to the wall.

"Hey, um…don't you like…have some sort of village to torment and pillage or something…?" He gulped, terrified of the lustful look in the older man's eyes.

"No," he said simply, coming much to close for Sora's comfort.

"Um, well…why not find one?" Sora squeaked out. "I'm sure there are plenty of unsuspecting towns out there that are just perfect for raiding."

"You talk too much," Sephiroth stated.

He then leaned down and captured Sora's lips in a bruising kiss. Sora's eyes widened in shock and his arms gave out, allowing him to slip down on the bed. Sephiroth straddled him and slowly broke their lip lock. Sora stared up at him in fear and a growing amount of anger.

"You…you bastard!" He screamed and pulled out the small dagger he had hidden in his sleeve, swiping it blindly at Sephiroth.

Sephiroth though, just caught his wrist and bent it back into a painful position until Sora dropped the weapon. He picked it up gently and released Sora's hand.

"Hmm…he did the exact same thing," the man commented to himself, reaching back and placing it back into his dresser.

"Get off!" Sora yelled, struggling uselessly under Sephiroth.

Sephiroth turned to him and was surprised to see that there were tears in the boy's eyes. All he had done was kiss him; if he reacted that badly to a simple kiss, then the brunette would not last very long. He stared down at him a moment before grabbing the boy's wrist and pinning him down.

"You're a virgin," he frowned and Sora blushed. "And that was your first kiss."

Sora blushed more. "I was saving that for someone special, bastard!"

"How naïve of you," the pirate captain smirked. "What is your name, boy?"

Sora gulped. "Sora."

"Just Sora? Have you no family name?"

"I'm orphan," Sora replied.

"An orphan and you have managed to keep your innocence this long? A rare thing."

"Why?" Sora asked, forgetting his situation for the moment.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Most orphans are either raped or sell themselves to survive."

Sora glared at the comment. "I would never sell myself; I'd rather die then become just another nameless whore!"

"Yes, I believe you would," Sephiroth smirked at the younger boy.

This one was fun, a lot more entertaining then his last one. He decided he'd be gentle with this boy, make him last as along as possible. Besides, he really didn't want to have to go searching for a new slave anytime soon.

Sora gulped, not liking the smirk on the other's face. "Yeah…so…so don't you even think of trying anything."

The smirk widened. "You have never felt the pleasures of sex if you are denying it so quickly."

Sora didn't know what to say to that so he kept silent.

"Do not worry, little boy," Sephiroth continued. "It will be pleasant for you."

Sora's eyes widened and he started struggling again. Sephiroth merely pressed him hard into the feathery bed.

"But do not get so lost in the sensations that you stop paying attention, though," he warned. "You will be returning this favor later."

"Wha-what f-favor?" Sora stuttered, he tried to squirm away when Sephiroth's hand trailed down his chest.

"Pay attention and you'll find out." And the captain said no more as he crashed their lips together in a mind-blowing kiss.

"Bastard," Sora gasped, when they separated. "That was my second kiss, damn it!"

Sephiroth growled in annoyance, didn't this boy ever shut up?

"Get off, now!" Sora demanded.

Apparently not.

"If you do not shut that mouth of yours, I will gag you," Sephiroth stated lightly. Sora simply blinked at him.

"Riku says bondage is for perverts," Sora replied matter-of-factly.

Sephiroth's patience ran out. He reached back into his dresser and pulled out a long silk scarf in the second drawer. Without hesitation, he gagged Sora's mouth and tied the scarf off behind his head. Sora blinked in surprise before starting to yell at him. The sound was muffled and the words unintelligible. After a moment he stopped and settled for glaring angrily at Sephiroth.

"Much better," Sephiroth sighed. Sora just glared more and Seph couldn't help but find it cute. He looked like an angry puppy that couldn't catch his tail. This image was reinforced when Sora growled lightly.

"I will you call you puppy, from now on," Sephiroth decided. "Yes, you shall be my little pet puppy."

Sora's disbelieving face said quite clearly that he would _not_ be called puppy from now on if he had any say about it. Of course, he didn't have any say in the matter so Sephiroth got his way, again.

"Very well then, puppy, let us begin with your lessons in the act of sex," Sephiroth smirked evilly and Sora was suddenly very afraid. "Now stay quiet this time." He ordered and removed the silk gag with his teeth.

Sephiroth kissed him, this time more gently then before. He bit on Sora's bottom lip and the brunette instinctively opened his mouth at the action. Sephiroth took the opportunity to slip his tongue in Sora's mouth and explore it to his heart's content. Despite himself, Sora couldn't help but moan.

Sephiroth then released his mouth and trailed kisses down Sora's throat and neck. Sora gasped when he reached the hollow of his neck and moaned loudly as the older man began sucking the spot in earnest. Sora's hands found their way into Sephiroth's hair before he realized what he was doing, and he pulled the other closer to him.

A thought crossed Sora's mind that this wasn't right, that this was all very bad, but Sephiroth had removed his shirt in one swift movement and was now kissing and sucking his way down Sora's chest. The brunette whimpered as the intense sensations filled his body, making him feel good in a way he had never felt before.

A face appeared in his mind's eye, but he was too far lost in the new sensations to see it clearly.

Sora felt the older man tugging at his pants and before he could protest, they were removed quickly. Sora wanted it to stop, he didn't want to do this with Sephiroth, but he just couldn't find his voice long enough to resist. Everything just felt so _good_.

A single tear slipped from his closed eyes and that face appeared in his mind again.

"Do you have anyone that you love back at your home?" Sephiroth whispered, coming back up to nibble on Sora's ear. "Not in the way one loves a family member, but in the way one loves a lover."

Did he really expect Sora to answer such a question right now? Apparently not, because he continued speaking.

"You don't, do you?" He began to make his way lower again. "Then you have no reason to hold back. It's not as though you're betraying anyone by allowing yourself to feel good."

He was right; Sora didn't have anyone that he loved _that_ way. The only people he truly loved were his family, Riku and the others. Riku…would Riku hate him if he did this? Would Riku forgive him for not being strong enough to resist?

The face appeared again and Sora whimpered.

Something engulfed his manhood without warning. Sora screamed and bucked up, only to be forced back down by strong hands. He managed to open his eyes just as Sephiroth's mouth released his throbbing self.

"Now pay attention to what I am about to do, for I will do this only once and I expect you to remember it later," Sephiroth ordered harshly.

Without waiting for a reply, (not that Sora was in any state to give one) he took the younger boy's manhood back into his mouth. Sora arched his back again, moaning loudly in sheer pleasure. All thoughts of resisting were forced from his head as Sephiroth's skilled tongue darted out to lick all the way from the base to the very tip. He swirled his tongue around the head, lapping up the precum gathered there.

Then, taking Sora all in his mouth, he began to suck. Gently at first, as though teasing, then getting harder, more vigorous. Sora was panting uncontrollably and moaning loudly. He could feel some sort of pressure build up inside of him and he arched his back up, trying to get more of that feeling.

The face had faded completely to the back of his mind, forgotten for the moment.

Sensing the younger boy was almost done, (virgins weren't known for their stamina) Sephiroth began sucking even harder while reaching a hand out and needing the other's balls. After a few more long sucks, Sora came for the first time, screaming out wordlessly as Sephiroth swallowed everything.

When he was done, Sora collapsed back onto the bed, panting heavily. His eyes slowly dropped shut and Sephiroth crawled up to his side.

"Now remember everything I just did for you," Sephiroth whispered. "Later, I will have you do the same for me."

Sora said nothing but simply nodded, trembling slightly. His last thought before he drifted to sleep was why he felt as though he had just betrayed Riku somehow.

* * *

**A/N: And there you go; now the real story can begin. I now have a question for you all on the direction of this story. I have two ideas in my head, but I can't decide which one I like more. So here's the question:**

Do you want this fic to take a more fantasy centric plot, or a more realistic plot?

**This wouldn't affect the characters or how they're going to act or think, this would just be for the events of the story. If you could answer my question, I would appreciate it.**

**Ok, all for now. Ja!**


	4. Pirate Rivaly

**Chapter Four: Pirate Rivalry**

Sephiroth walked up to the main deck to where Vincent sat on the railing of the ship next to the helm. To anyone else, it looked as though the dark haired man was daydreaming or lost in his own world, but Sephiroth knew better. If asked, Vincent would be able to say where every member of the crew was at that precise moment and if there was something going on that wasn't supposed to be happening.

It was one reason Sephiroth had taken the man as his first officer, his second in command. Another was because he knew Vincent would never betray him. Vincent wanted nothing to do with being captain and was far too loyal to turn on Sephiroth. Interesting that he was so loyal, when they had first met, Sephiroth had kidnapped him from his home when he was barely thirteen and made a slave out of him. Since then, he had become his first officer and the closet thing to a friend Sephiroth was cable of having.

There were other reasons he had chosen him as first officer, but none of those really mattered right now.

"Vincent," Sephiroth spoke, coming to stand next to him by the helm. "Go down below and wash the new boy up. I will not have a dirty slave."

"Yes captain," Vincent nodded, standing up. "There is a storm coming, it will be on us in little less then a day."

"Can we weather it?"

"Yes, but it will be a hard one," Vincent told him. "We should start preparing for it now."

"Fine," Sephiroth agreed. Vincent nodded and began walking away. "Vincent."

The man stopped and turned back to his captain.

"I want this one to last," he ordered. "See to it that his mind is not broken."

"…Of course, captain," Vincent turned and left.

Sometimes, Vincent really hated that man.

* * *

Vincent entered the captain's cabin to find Sora sleeping peacefully on the bed still. The room reeked of sex and the young boy was covered only by the thin bed sheet. First things first, he picked up Sora's old clothes and looked them over. They were filthy and had some holes in them from over wearing, but were still useable. He folded them carefully and reached over to wake Sora up. 

At first the boy didn't want to get up and simply batted Vincent away with a hand. He tried again and, to his great surprise, Sora attempted to bite him. Vincent snatched back his hand, certain that if he hadn't he'd be missing a few fingers now.

"Hmm…go away, Riku…" Sora grumbled. "You can't have my giant cookie."

"Giant cookie?" Vincent repeated slowly. His captain seemed to have picked an odd one this time around. "Boy…Sora, come on, kid, it's time to get up."

Vincent pulled the blanket off him harshly, but this didn't faze Sora in the slightest. He simply hugged his pillow closer and started chewing on it, mumbling something sounding like "cookie." This gave Vincent an idea.

"If you get up now, I'll give you a cookie," Vincent bribed.

Vincent was once again surprised as Sora stopped chewing on his pillow and blearily opened his eyes. He blinked, still half asleep, and glanced around.

"Where the cookie?" He demanded, his voice slurred with sleep.

"Put your clothes on and we'll go get it," Vincent lied.

Sora grumbled and quickly dressed, never fully opening his eyes. When he was done, he looked around again.

"Ok, let's go to cookie," Sora decided.

"This way," Vincent pointed at the door and Sora obediently followed.

With promises that Sora would get a cookie, Vincent directed the boy to the lower levels of the ship, where the crew usually took baths. The captain, of course, had his own small room where he washed while the crew had to share. It was to the private room where Vincent took Sora.

When they got there, there was water already filled in a large wooden basin. The water was salt water from sea and stung like hell if you had cuts or scars. It was that reason why most pirates didn't bathe that often; they'd rather be dirty then take a painful bath. There was also some soap by the tub, but only the captain and first mate were allowed to touch it; everyone else had to make do with simply scrubbing themselves with rags the best they could.

Vincent stopped in front of the tub and looked back to see Sora just about sleeping on his feet. His eyes were opened only the barest of slits and he was swaying on his feet.

Vincent pointed at the water. "It's in there," he stated.

Sora managed to half blink before kneeling next to the water. To Vincent's surprise and amusement, he actually stuck his head right in the water, looking for his "cookie."

* * *

A loud scream halted all movement on the pirate ship for a second as they all looked around, confused. Sephiroth glared and barked for them to get back to work before turning back to the sea. 

_Looks like Vincent managed to wake puppy up,_ he thought with a smirk.

* * *

"That was so mean! I can't believe you did that," Sora cried, glaring angrily at Vincent. It didn't really work because his hair was wetted down and he had that miserable look on his face. Sora looked very cute; he looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. 

"You didn't wake up, and I forced you to do nothing," Vincent pointed out.

"You tricked me," Sora grumbled. "Stupid pirate."

"You need a bath," Vincent pointed out.

Sora stared up at him and looked down at himself. A deep blush crossed his cheeks as he realized he was covered in his essence and smelled of sex. He refused to meet Vincent's eyes and stared at the floor shamefully. He couldn't believe that he had let Sephiroth do that to him…or that he had enjoyed it. What the hell was wrong with him?

Sora gulped, fighting back tears. He started when he felt someone reach for his shirt and jumped back when he saw Vincent.

"Calm down," the dark haired man ordered gently. "I'm just going to give you a bath."

"I…I can bathe myself," Sora stated, his voice cracking. Vincent treated him with a rare smile.

"I don't want you scrubbing off your own skin because you think you're dirtier then you are," he told him.

"But I am!" Sora exclaimed, loosing the fight with his tears. "I just…I let him…"

He hid face in shame and Vincent removed his shirt and stood Sora up, telling to the boy to take off his pants as well. Soon, Sora was sitting in the tub of lukewarm water while Vincent got a rag with some soap.

Vincent sat a stool next to him and sat down. "You did not have a choice in the matter," he said quietly. "It would have been far worse, had you fought."

Sora shook his head, shivering as he felt the rag on his back. "Nothing could be worse then this."

"How wrong you are," Vincent whispered.

"What d'ya mean?"

"I hope you never find out, little Sora," Vincent said sincerely. No child, especially one as innocent as Sora, should ever know the true horrors of the world. It was bad enough adults knew them, and caused them, children didn't need to be drawn into that before their time.

Sora sniffed. "That's what Riku always calls me. He always says I'm his little Sora. I miss him."

"Riku…that boy who spoke up for you?"

"Yeah, that's him," Sora nodded, puling his legs to his chest and hiding his face. "Me and him have always been together; it's always been the two of us against the world. I can't really explain it, but we've just always been drawn together, I can't remember a single day in my life without him."

"Tell me of him then," Vincent requested.

Sora looked at him surprised before shrugging it off. He started telling Vincent about all the fun times he'd had with Riku. He talked and talked and slowly put all thoughts of what had happened last night to the back of his mind. Vincent finished washing him, something that got a little more difficult as Sora spoke because he usually talked with his hands flying in exaggerated gestures. By the time they were done, Sora was feeling much more like his old self.

"Here," Vincent held out Sora's clothes to him. "We'll find you some new ones later, until then; your old ones will suffice."

"Thank you," Sora whispered, taking his clothes. "Can you…um, can you turn around?" Vincent nodded and turned his back, waiting patiently for Sora to finish getting dressed. "Ok, I'm done."

Vincent grabbed a towel and gestured Sora to sit on the stool he had just vacated. He proceed to towel dry Sora's hair the best he could and when he was finished, Sora's hair looked like a couple birds had made a nest in it.

Sora caught Vincent's strange look and smiled. He shook his head vigorously then ran his fingers though it a couple times. By the time he was done, it had returned to its naturally spiky state.

"It's natural, the spikes," he told the surprised pirate.

"How amusing," Vincent commented. A shout from above drew their attention and Sora looked up.

"What's that?" He asked.

"A ship's been spotted," Vincent stated and Sora suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. "I need to be on deck." He turned and headed to the door and Sora scrambled to his feet, following.

Things were abnormally silent on deck when they arrived. Vincent went straight to the upper deck and stood half a step behind Sephiroth, for no one may stand equal with their captain. Sora looked confused and decided to go stand off to the side, so he wouldn't get in the way. He looked around curiously, trying to figure out what everyone was looking at.

Sora spotted it a moment later; a ship sailing towards them. It flew a solid black flag with nothing but a yellow circle (almost like an eye) in the center. Sora's widened in shock; that was the flag of the pirate captain, Ansem, the richest pirate on all the seas. While Sephiroth would rob you, kill you and be done with it, Ansem would rob you, rape you, and then (if you're lucky) kill you. It was nearly impossible to tell which pirate captain was most deadly.

As the ship drew nearer, Sora could just make out the crew, standing at the railings silently, just as Sephiroth's pirates were. He glanced over at Sephiroth and Vincent to see their lips moving, but they were talking so quietly that Sora couldn't hear them.

The other ship, which was the same size as theirs, drifted up next to them. For five solid, nerve racking minutes, no one did anything. Then, from Ansem's ship, there was movement on the top deck and a rope was suddenly dropped from somewhere above, followed quickly by a second one. A minute later, two people were sailing effortlessly though the air on the ropes to land directly in front of Sephiroth and Vincent.

The first person, who seemed to be the one in charge, was much like Sephiroth with his overbearing aura that just screamed "follow me or die." He had long, snow white hair with odd amber eyes. His body was muscular and he was about half an inch smaller then Sephiroth, but by no means intimated by the other's larger size. He carried a slightly larger then average sword around his waist and stood before them with a cocky grin.

The second person was a strange looking woman with…green tinted skin. She had long fingernails that looked like they could cut though anything and stood straight and tall. Her chin and nose were pointed and her red lips stood out in contrast to her green skin. Her weapon was a long black staff with a yellow orb on the end. A black raven perched carelessly on her shoulder and she looked at them all emotionlessly.

"As flashy as ever, Ansem," Sephiroth stated coldly.

"As unwelcoming as ever, Sephiroth," Ansem, the man with the white hair, answered. "What are you doing traversing these waters?"

"None of your business," he answered. Ansem raised an eyebrow.

"Maleficent," Ansem barked, not looking at the woman who stood behind him. "Who controls these waters?"

"You do, Captain," the woman answered in cruel sounding voice. Sora couldn't decide who was creepier; Ansem or Maleficent.

"Drop the show, Ansem," Sephiroth growled. "You know damn well I travel these waters often, regardless of who controls them. They are my personal passage ways."

A flash went off in the corner of Sora's eye and he turned his head to look out to see. Far in the distant, Sora could just make out the sail of another ship, coming straight for them. The ship was too far away though, to see who it was and Sora squinted his eyes, wanting to know who was coming.

Without warning, everything seemed to fly at his face. Sora stumbled back slightly, shocked at what he was seeing. He could see the new ship perfectly clear, as if it was right in front of him. The flag it was flying was a mouse head; the symbol of the royal navy. Underneath that flag was a blue one with a staff on it; the symbol of the commanding officer of the navy ship. Sora knew little to nothing about the navy commanding officers; that kind of stuff was Riku's specialty, not his.

Just as quickly as the vision had come, it was gone. Sora found himself seeing things normally again and was able to focus on Sephiroth and Ansem arguing.

"Ship abroad!" A look out on Ansem's ship shouted loudly. "Coming fast!"

Ansem smirked. "You see," he cockily told Sephiroth. "Just as I said, my sister ship comes to meet us. These are our waters now, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth stared emotionlessly at the other man, though inside he was far from happy. These waters were the easiest and fastest way to the Traverse Town port; it would be quiet annoying to have to find a different root.

Sora, meanwhile, was looking around and trying to find Ansem's other ship. But no matter where he looked, all he could find was the navy one. Where were Ansem's friends?

"Well, Sephiroth?" Ansem mocked. "Will you try and fight, only succeeding in getting yourself and crew killed? Or will accept a proposal?"

Sephiroth raised a single eyebrow, the only indication that he was listening to Ansem at all.

"Give me all treasure and supplies on your ship and I'll let you go free," Ansem offered.

Sora snorted. "Well that's not asking for much," he muttered. Everyone's eyes turned to him and the brunette realized, too late, that he had said that out loud. "Heh…oops."

"That's a new face," Ansem sneered. "Did Sephiroth break his last toy?"

"He is my new slave, yes," Sephiroth answered reluctantly, glaring at Sora for saying something. The brunette stuck his tongue out at him.

"Very new, apparently," Ansem smirked. "Though I must admit, you have always had good taste. I will take him as well."

Vincent glared at Ansem for that but his anger was nothing compared to Sora's.

"Take me!" He shouted. "You…you…you stupid pirates, are all of the same! I am not a possession to be bought and sure as hell will not "be taken" by some idiot who can't even tell one ship from the other."

"And what's that supposed to mean, brat?" Ansem glared.

"That ship coming towards us ain't your friends," Sora stated smugly. "It's a navy ship, flying a blue flag with a staff underneath it."

For the second time, Sora suddenly regretted that he spoke this information. Not because it had gotten Ansem pissed, but because Riku had said not to say anything that might hint to anything strange about Sora. And seeing a ship clearly, from this great of distance, without any aid, was definitely strange.

Seeing everyone stare at him oddly, Sora took a small step backwards and laughed nervously. "Uh…I think."

Just then, a look out shouted down to Sephiroth from the crows nest. "Navy ship, aho," he shouted. "She flying the royal mage's flag, captain."

Sora wanted nothing more then to sink in the ground because of all the looks he was getting. Oh, he was in even _more_ trouble now. Where was Riku?

"It would appear you shall get off easily this time, Sephiroth," Ansem commented, turning back to the other caption. "But next time, you shall not be so lucky."

Suddenly he and the woman jumped back into the air and managed to land on their ship effortlessly. Ansem ordered his crew to retreat and they quickly set about leaving. Sora only had time to wonder why Ansem and the woman had used ropes before if they were able to jump like that, before Vincent had grabbed his arm and was pulling him below deck again.

* * *

"You're short one hundred, kid," the clean cut man frowned. 

"I'll work while I'm onboard then!" Riku countered. "I'll do whatever you kneed and earn my keep."

"I've got plenty of crew hands," the man replied, shaking his head. "Now you got enough to make it to the Deep Jungle port, but it ain't enough to get to Traverse Town, sorry."

"There's got to be something I can do to convince you!" Riku begged.

"No, either get the hundred you need, or settle for the Deep Jungle," he snapped, now getting annoyed with the teen. "End of discussion."

The captain of the cargo ship turned and stalked away, leaving a dejected Riku behind. The next ship didn't come in for another week and the pirates already had a big enough head start as it was. With a dejected sigh, Riku turned and headed back down to the docks.

Now what was he going to do?

* * *

Sitting on the docks were Kairi, Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka. The minute they saw Riku they jumped up and looked to him hopefully. Riku just shook his head and sat down, the others doing the same. 

"Now what?" Kairi muttered. "We can't wait for the next ship; it'll be too late by then."

"Maybe I can stowaway?" Riku mused, glancing back at the ship.

"No way," Tidus sighed. "I've checked every inch of it out while you were talking with the captain. It's boarded up real good."

Riku sighed again. For once, he was at a complete loss for what to do. They sat in depressed silence for awhile longer, until someone appeared behind them and tapped Riku one the shoulder.

Blinking, Riku turned around and stood up. The man was older, probably about in his forties. His body was muscled and he was chewing on a toothpick in his mouth. His hair was blonde and messy, sticking up in odd directions. He had blue eyes and was scowling at the kids.

"Can I help you?" Riku asked coldly. He and Tidus placed themselves protectively in front of the others while Wakka made sure he was standing next to the girls, just incase they had to run.

The man snorted at them. "Suspicious little bastards," he grumbled. "The name's Cid."

"Right," Riku frowned. "What do you want?"

Cid scowled at him. "What the fuck kind of response is that? You're supposed to give your fucking name when someone gives you there's."

Riku simply raised an eyebrow. "Well, since you asked so nicely, my name is **Toruko**." The other kids didn't bat an eye at the lie.

"Fine then, Toruko," Cid growled. "I heard you arguing with that bastard of captain."

"Yeah, what about it?" Riku snapped, still upset over the ordeal.

"Don't get snippy with me, brat," Cid snapped back. "I have a deal for you."

Riku eyed him suspiciously. "I'm listening."

"I'm sailing back on my own ship to Traverse, but I can't be sailing it alone," Cid explained. "I'll take what you got and you work as a crew hand for me and I'll take you to Traverse Town."

The five kids blinked at him. Kairi suddenly pushed to the front and grabbed Riku's arm, smiling sweetly. "Excuse us for just a second." She pulled Riku and the others to the side and they huddled together.

"This is insane!" Kairi whispered, not wanting to be overheard. "Riku, you can't do this, we know nothing about this guy!"

"She's right, ya," Wakka agreed. "He could just be planning on taking your money then killing you in your sleep and dumping you overboard. It's too dangerous."

"But what about Sora?" Tidus asked. "How are we gonna get to him?"

"Tidus is right," Riku interrupted. "I know, this is hardly a good situation to be in, and normally I would trust this guy but…"

"But we need to go now, before we loose Sora entirely," Kairi finished for him sadly. "Are you sure, Riku?"

"Don't worry, guys," Riku smiled at them. "I'll watch my back and I won't fall asleep first. Before you know it, I'll be back with Sora and everything will be just the way it was before."

He stood up straight and walked back over to where Cid was standing impatiently.

"You've got yourself a deal," Riku said, sticking his hand out. Cid smirked and grasped it before letting go again.

"I'm leaving in an hour, be at the second docks by then or I'll without ya."

* * *

Sora was afraid, though he'd never admit it. Vincent had dragged him back to Sephiroth's cabin and told him not to leave. He had looked so serious and scary when he said it, that Sora didn't dare disobey. Instead he sat on the bed (determinedly _not_ thinking about what had happened last night) and waited. He thought he heard thunder at one point, but there was so much noise from the crew above deck that he couldn't be sure. 

Sora sniffed again and rubbed at his eyes. They were itching from all the dust in the room. He rubbed his nose and sneezed three times in succession, pouting miserably at the door. He hadn't been affected the other day…then again, he'd been a little preoccupied the other day.

Rubbing at his eyes again, Sora suddenly froze. A _very_ loud crash of thunder and suddenly the shouts above deck became louder and slightly more hurried. Sora didn't move as he calmed himself down. It was just noise, it couldn't hurt him. What had Riku said thunder was? The lighting heating up the sky…or was it the water in the sky, and making it explode. That's what made the noise. So really…thunder was nothing to be afraid of, it was just noise.

Another, louder, bang tore though the silence and Sora dived under the covers.

* * *

An hour had passed and Riku was standing with the others on the second docks. The second docks where for smaller ships or ships that were planning on staying for awhile. The main docks were mainly for large vessels that unloaded and loaded things then went on their way. Riku stood with his family, glancing around for Cid, his possessions sitting at his feet. Finally, the old man stumbled into view from the direction of the market place. He was carrying a something large and odd shaped bundle. 

When he reached them, he was panting slightly but trying to hide it. The thing he was carrying was covered in a large cloth, making it impossible to tell what it was.

"Damn Cloud and his damn things…next time he gets the fuckin' thing fixed himself," Cid was grumbling. He placed the package on the ground next to him.

"All right, Toruko," he scowled. "That one there's my ship, hurry up or I'm leaving ya."

"I got here before you, old man," Riku replied cheekily. He glanced at the ship Cid was pointing at.

It was small, probably meant for only two or three people. But it looked sea worthy, despite the messed up appearance. Really, Riku wasn't in a position to be choosy. If this thing could get him to Sora, Riku didn't care how shabby looking it was.

Riku turned to his friends. "I'll see you guys as soon as I can," he promised them all. Kairi and Selphie broke down crying and hugged him tightly.

"Please be careful, Riku," Kairi cried. "I can't stand the thought of you hurt."

"And try and write us, if you can," Selphie added. "Just so that we know you're still alive."

"I will," Riku answered, kissing them both on the temple. "Don't worry, babes, me and Sora will be back before you know it." He gently pushed them away and looked to Wakka and Tidus. "Take mine and Sora's jobs at the docks," he told them. "You should have plenty of money that way."

"Ya, man," Wakka nodded and pulled Riku into a quick hug before letting go. "We'll see you when you get back, ya?"

"Yeah," Riku nodded and turned to Tidus. "You'd better watch them, Tidus. If me and Sora come home and something's wrong, then we'll both kick your ass."

"Don't worry," Tidus nodded seriously. "I'll take care of them, I promise." They shook hands and Riku ruffled his hair; something he only did to Sora.

"All right, I'm outta here," Riku smirked at them all. "See ya soon." He turned and began walking away, waving over his shoulder to them.

Riku jumped on the deck of the ship just as Cid came up from the bottom deck.

"'Bout damn time," the man grumbled. "Set the sail while I cut the ropes from the deck."

"Got it," Riku nodded and set to work.

A few minutes later, they were slowly heading out of the docks and to the open seas. Riku sighed and turned back to look at the shore; his family was standing there, watching them go sadly. He lifted a single hand in farewell and turned away, staring into the open sea with only one thought on his mind now.

Sora.

* * *

**Toruko: Japanese for "Turquoise." (For Riku's eyes, I couldn't find the word "aqua" so I used "turquoise" instead.)

* * *

**

**A/N: How the heck did this chapter become nine pages long? Usually I update when a story is six or seven, that way the chapter is still good and you don't have to wait as long. Yet this time, it was nine pages. (shrug) Oh well, more for you to read, right?**

**Next chapter should have some Sora/Seph along with part of the reason Sora could see that ship from so far away. I think I might be introducing Leon and Cloud too, but I doubt it. I'll try to update faster, but please don't get mad if I don't, I do have four other stories going at the moment.**

**Reviews! **

**Luthien-Ikari: (glares) Luthien… **

**Kori-Tenshi: I don't know what pocky is either…I think it's some sort of candy. HEY! Does anyone know what pocky is? **

**Thanks everyone for answering my question. I've decided to make it half and half. Have some fantasy, but in a realistic setting. Thanks for all your opinions!**


	5. People Are Not Always As They Seem

**Edited December 3, 2005**

**Chapter Five: People Are Not Always As They Seem**

Sephiroth entered his cabin, soaking wet. He repressed an annoyed sighed and he grabbed a towel and rang his (still perfect) hair out. Glancing around, he noticed a shaking lump on the bed and raised an eyebrow. Reaching out, he grabbed the sheet and pulled, revealing a frightened Sora.

"What are you doing, puppy?" He demanded coldly.

Sora glared angrily at him. "Stop calling me that, my name's Sora."

"What are you doing, puppy?" He repeated, completely ignoring the boy's statement.

Sora tried to glare at him, but it turned into a pout. He was about to say something scathing (in his mind, anyways) but a loud crash of thunder distracted him and he squeaked loudly, covering his head with his arms.

"Are you afraid of the storm?" Sephiroth asked with amusement. "How…childish."

"Shut up!" Sora yelled at him. "I've never been out at sea during a storm before!"

"It is the same as being on land," Sephiroth shrugged, turning to remove his wet clothes. "Except perhaps it is louder."

"And the ground moves," Sora added, referring to the constant swaying of the ship under their feet. Sephiroth simply stared at him before going back to changing.

"I have picked a very odd one, it seems," he muttered to himself.

"A what?" Sora asked, but ducked again at the thunder. "I want Riku…" He crossed his arms and pouted miserably.

Once again, Sephiroth ignored him and changed into some dry pants, leaving himself shirtless since it was a warm night, despite the rain. He crawled onto his bed, making Sora eye him warily and scoot away.

The pirate captain ignored his resistance and grabbed him into a sweet kiss. Sora squeezed his eyes shut; desperately telling himself he did _not_ enjoy this at all.

"You do not need to love someone to enjoy sex," Sephiroth said into his ear, nibbling the lobe before tracing kisses down his cheek bone to his neck. "You do not even need to like someone to enjoy yourself."

"But…but you're supposed to," Sora gasped, weakly struggling against the man. Why wasn't he stopping this?

"Says who?" The man countered, just as he removed Sora's pants.

Sora squeaked, but could do nothing as Sephiroth's mouth engulfed him. Slowly, Sephiroth began licking, from the very base to the tip to the top, before swallowing him again. Sora squirmed under him, panting in pleasure no matter how much he tried to deny it. He bucked his hips up and Sephiroth allowed him to force himself deeper in his mouth.

Sucking harshly, Sephiroth reached out with a hand and needed the boy's balls gently. He continued sucking, occasionally running his teethe carefully up and down as well. The motion made Sora shiver and writhe in ecstasy at Sephiroth's experienced touch. It wasn't long before Sora felt a pressure building in his tummy and he came with a loud yell.

Sephiroth sucked the boy dry and released him once he was done. He moved up to Sora, who panting with his eyes closed, and kissed him lightly on the lips, giving the boy a taste of himself. Sora whimpered pathetically.

"Now I have stolen your first kiss and your first sexual experience," Sephiroth said to him. "And now you will give me your first blow job."

Sora's eyes snapped open and he looked up at Sephiroth fearfully.

"Just do as I have done to you," the man stated with cold eyes. "It is only fair that you return the favor, correct?"

He reached out and gently pushed Sora downwards. The brunette complied hesitantly and moved so that he was between Sephiroth's legs. With shaking hands, Sora reached out and carefully removed the older man's pants. Sephiroth was getting impatient, but allowed his puppy to move at the slow pace; it was his first time, after all. He didn't want the boy to get scared and accidentally bite him.

Sora stared at Sephiroth with large eyes; he was _a lot_ bigger then himself. Sora wasn't sure he'd be able to get all of him into his mouth…but, here went nothing. He leaned forward and tentatively licked the top of Sephiroth's member. He did it again and decided that it didn't taste too bad. It was salty and had some sort of flavor that Sora really couldn't describe, but overall, it wasn't that bad.

So with a deep breath, Sora glanced up at the older man again and was reassured from the watching eyes. He reached forward and took Sephiroth into his mouth, or at least as much as he could; what he couldn't take, he wrapped his hands around. Remembering what Sephiroth had done to him, Sora began sucking gently. He was rewarded with a quiet moan from the pirate, encouraging the teen to continue.

Sora mainly copied the things Sephiroth had done to him, though his movements were much more awkward and hesitant. He couldn't help thinking that he shouldn't be doing this, but the pleased look on Sephiroth's face and the soft noises of enjoyment he made kept Sora going. He had always enjoyed helping people and making them happy, and right now it was Sora who was pleasing Sephiroth. Even if the man was a jerk, it was still nice to know Sora was able to make him happy.

And he did look beautiful with his head thrown back and eyes closed while little drops of sweat fell down his face. He looked nothing like the heartless person that had kidnapped Sora; he looked at peace, almost. Maybe this wasn't such a bad thing after all…just like Sephiroth had said; it wasn't like Sora was cheating on anyone or anything.

A face appeared in Sora's mind, but this time, the brunette ignored it and began to suck harder on the member in his mouth. Awhile later, Sephiroth came into Sora's mouth, spraying his cum all over the boy's face. Sora tried to swallow it, but a lot still spilled from his mouth. The teen sat back and blinked in surprise; he hadn't realized there would be so much, or that it would come out so fast.

Sephiroth hissed in satisfaction and sat up. It was so much more enjoyable when someone else took care of sexual problems for you. He looked at the surprised Sora, who was currently staring at the white cum on his hand. His tongue carefully stuck out to taste Sephiroth's essence and the pirate captain couldn't help but think that the boy looked quite adorable. Now normally Sephiroth didn't go for "adorable" look but on Sora it just seemed right. It was cute.

Sora frowned at the mess on his hands and decided that while the white stuff wasn't bad, it wasn't good enough to lick off his hands. He reached down and grabbed Sephiroth's discarded shirt and wiped his hands and face off, throwing the piece of clothing back on the floor. Sephiroth glared in disapproval and decided that he would have puppy do his laundry tomorrow.

Sora didn't notice the glare and crawled up to lay at Sephiroth's side; he felt sleepy, but he didn't want to sleep. Sora had a feeling that the face in the back of his mind was going to chase him to his dreams and he didn't want that. So he curled next to Sephiroth into a tight ball and tried not to flinch at the storm that was still raging around them, though it seemed to have calmed down.

"Who was that guy?" Sora asked, trying to put off sleeping for a little while. "The other pirate?"

Sephiroth glanced at him before answering. "His name is Ansem and, next to myself, he is the most powerful pirate on the seven seas."

"You guys didn't seem to like each other much," Sora observed.

"We fight for power," Sephiroth stated.

"Can't you share it?" Sora asked innocently. A rumbled of thunder had him ducking his head.

"You do not share power," the pirated replied coolly. "You take it and keep it, but you do no share it."

"No wonder pirates are so mean," Sora mumbled, loosing his fight to stay awake. Both fell silent, the sound of the rain above decks lulling them to sleep. "Riku…" Was the last thing Sora muttered before a hidden face chased him to into his dreams.

* * *

"Toruko," Cid shouted. "Answer me, you god damn bastard."

Riku blinked his eyes open with muffled groaned. He was really not having the best of times right now. It wasn't because of Cid being a jerk or anything; no it was because of his own mind. Ever since they had left the docks, Riku had been thinking about nothing but Sora, Sora, Sora, and did he mention Sora? Yes, Riku, no matter how hard he tried, could not stop thinking about his younger friend.

"Why are you just lazing around?" Cid demanded, walking up to where Riku was sitting. "I gave you work to do."

"And I did it, old man," Riku snapped.

It was true, in a desperate attempt to not think about Sora, Riku had done everything Cid had told him to do. The distraction had worked for a little while, but when he ran out things to do, Riku was right back to thinking of, yes, you guessed it, Sora.

"Who the hell you calling old, you little fuck?" Cid growled and sat next to the teen on the deck. "So who is she?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Riku turned to Cid, confused. "Who's who?"

Cid smirked. "You have been sittin' here for an hour starin' off into space." Cid then glanced down at Riku and his smirk widened. "And judgin' by the nice stiffy you got going, I'm assuming you're thinkin' about some girl."

Riku blinked then looked down at himself. To his horror and embarrassment, Riku found himself with a small erection. But how? All he had been thinking about was Sora. Oh no…could this mean…? Did Riku have a crush on Sora!

He stood up abruptly and turned around. "I'm going for a swim." And with that, Riku grabbed a rope, tied it off to the deck, then around his waist and jumped headfirst into the ocean water.

* * *

Once again, Vincent came into the cabin and woke Sora up for his bath. Sora actually woke up this time but wasn't really capable of intelligent speech until ten minutes later, when he was in the bath water. He blinked and looked up at the dark haired man.

"Good morning," Sora greeted, blinking the remaining sleep from his eyes as Vincent lathered a towel with soap.

"Good afternoon," Vincent corrected. "You have been sleeping all morning."

"Hmm…I like sleeping in, but Riku never lets me," Sora pouted. "He always makes me get up so that we won't be late to work. Though…" he grinned and rubbed his head sheepishly. "…we're always late anyways."

Vincent smiled slightly at him; he had no trouble believing that.

"So where are we going, anyways?" Sora asked.

"Our destination is the Traverse Town port," Vincent replied. "We'll be arriving there within the day."

"Really?" Sora asked, sounding excited. "I've never been there. Me and Riku have never actually left the royalty owned lands. We've traveled all over them, but we've never gone to a place that wasn't navy controlled."

"Then this will be a first for you."

"Yup."

Sora took the towel Vincent handed to him and wrapped it about himself before standing. He changed into his clothes and told Vincent he could turn back around.

"So we're staying there the night?" Sora pressed for more information.

Vincent nodded. "We will most likely remain for a week's time, depending on how things go."

"Cool! You think I'll be able to go and look around?" Sora asked excitedly.

"It is up to the captain. You may ask after you do the laundry."

"What?"

* * *

"Hey old man!" Riku yelled to the lower decks. "You might want to come up here!"

He heard something fall and then muffled cursing followed by heavy footsteps. Riku stood back as Cid came stomping up the steps and glared at him.

"What the fuck do you want?" He demanded. In response, Riku pointed out to see.

"There's a ship coming straight for us," he said. Cid took the handheld telescope from Riku and focused in on the incoming vessel.

"They're not flying a flag," Riku pointed out. Cid frowned.

"There's no way we can outrun 'em," he muttered to himself. "Kid, there's a **cutlass** down below, get it." Riku didn't question the man as he hurried to get the weapon. By the time he got back on deck, the ship could be seen without the telescope.

Riku squinted. "Are they putting up a flag?"

Cid checked though the scope and saw that they were, indeed, putting a flag up. When he saw who it was he let out a breath of relief. He handed over the scope to Riku so he could see the flag too.

It was a pirate flag, no doubt about that. It had the traditional skull and crossbones but behind the skull were two giant white wings. Riku lowered the scope and turned to Cid.

"Who are they?" He had never seen that flag flown before.

"They are my crew," Cid answered smugly. Riku gaped at him.

"You're a pirate!" He exclaimed. He was traveling with one of the very people he was hunting!

"Sure am, and now that my crew has caught up with me, I don't have to go all the way to Traverse Town."

Riku blinked. "Yes you do! I need to get there!"

Cid shrugged. "Not my problem. I only agreed to help ya 'cause I was headin' the same way, but now that I'm not, you're on your own, kid."

"Like hell!" Riku shouted. "We had a deal! You can't just back out!"

His hand tightened on the weapon he was holding, as if he was going to attack. Cid seemed to sense the hostility and suddenly pointed a very long spear at Riku's throat. Where the spear had come from, Riku had no idea, but he didn't move as the very sharp blade rested lightly against the skin of his throat.

"Don't be tryin' anythin' rash, kid," Cid ordered coldly. "We didn't sign any agreement so I don't have to do anythin'. I'll let my captain decide what to do about you." He took the cutlass from Riku's hand and placed it in his own belt protectively.

Riku was positively fuming, his turquoise eyes glowing hatefully at the man before him. He had trusted the bastard to get him to Traverse Town, he had given him all his munny even! And the old bastard turned out to be nothing more then a dirty pirate who couldn't even keep his word. Knowing pirates, they were just going to kill and toss him overboard. Oh, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. And the first person he was going to aim for was Cid.

The larger ship pulled alongside them. A head stuck over the side of the ship and called down to Cid with a smiled.

"Hey geezer," a girl jumped on the rail of the larger ship, holding a rope in her hand. "Took ya long enough, and who's the kid?"

Riku thought it was a bit hypocritical to call him a kid when she looked the same age as himself, if not younger. She had black hair that was cut to frame her face in a style similar to Kairi's. She was wearing a green belly-shirt with, what looked like, two pant buckles as straps. She had a yellow scar tied off about her neck that blew lazily in the wind. Her shorts were cut very shot and were skin tight. She wore white knee-socks to cover her legs complete with large brown shoes. On her hands were a pair of brown, fingerless gloves and her arms had a black fishnet covering them. A blue belt around her waist completed the complicated, yet simple, outfit.

"I'll explain later," Cid snapped, still pointing the spear at Riku's throat. "Just throw the damn rope down."

"Sheesh, don't gotta get all grumpy," Yuffie grumbled and tossed it down.

"After you, Toruko," Cid gestured to the rope with his spear.

Riku glared at him and grabbed it, climbing up to the ship deck easily. As he was going up, a couple people went down and Riku noticed they were hitching the small ship to the larger one so that they could pull it. Riku effortlessly jumped over the ship railing and stood up straight. He simply glared at the pirates who had trained their weapons on him.

Cid stumbled up a minute later, nowhere near as graceful as Riku. Riku smirked at him condescendingly, earning a glare in return. The men who had jumped down early suddenly came climbing back up. They carried the long package Cid had had when they first set out.

"Cid, you're back," the crew of pirates moved aside and two men stepped forward.

The one who had spoken bore a strange resemblance to Sora. He had blonde hair and deep, ice blue eyes. His clothes were heavy and colored black. He had large, commando styled boots that looked hard to walk in, but the blonde stepped forward gracefully. Riku was shocked to see that one of his hands had long claws but the other was normal. A long, rust colored cape was tied around his neck and Riku couldn't see his mouth because of his high collar.

"Cloud," Cid nodded civilly. "You owe me a fuckin' hundred munny."

The blonde, now revealed to be Cloud, raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

"Yeah, it cost more then you gave me and I had to dig into my own pocket to pay off the difference," Cid grumbled. The two pirates presented Cloud with the package and he tore away the wrapping with his clawed hand. Riku was surprised to see that it was very large sword wrapped with a large bandage.

Cloud inspected the sword and swung it around a few times. "Fine, I'll pay you back."

Cid grunted. "You'd better."

"Who is that, Cid?" The man standing by Cloud's side pointed at Riku, drawing the attention to the silver haired teen.

The man had short brown hair that spiked out, similar to Riku's, only longer. His eyes were a solid blue and he wore a white shirt. He had a small jacket covering the shirt and a necklace of a cross with a lion's head around his neck. His pants were black and covered in many zippers, chains and belts. His boots were black also and heavy, but not as heavy as Cloud's. He had a single silver stud in his ear and a scar across his face. His arms were crossed and he had black gloves on his hand. Riku could see a large sword strapped to the man's back, but couldn't get a good look at it.

"That's Toruko," Cid introduced. "I picked him up because I couldn't dock the ship in Traverse Town alone."

"Since when do you do charity work?" The dark haired girl from earlier laughed.

"Fuck off, Yuffie," Cid growled. "The kid paid…"

"For you take me to Traverse Town," Riku suddenly interrupted angrily. "Not half-way there with no means finishing my trip. And I want my munny back."

"What? Why you ungrateful little bastard…"

"Enough," the brunette halted Cid's rant. He stared at Riku coldly before speaking. "We'll take you to Traverse Town, we're heading there ourselves. But you will have to wait."

"How long?" Riku demanded, he didn't have time to wait.

"There are certain pirates heading there that we are trying to avoid, as soon as they leave, we'll go," Cloud answered.

"And there are certain pirates I'm trying to catch," Riku countered. "I can't wait because you guys are cowards."

This was a bad thing to say because Riku suddenly found himself at sword point from the Yuffie girl. Though on closer inspection, Riku saw that she had an overlarge throwing star at his neck and not a sword.

"Who the hell are you calling cowards?" She demanded. Riku took in the weapon and the smug look on the girl's face before smirking.

"You," he stated and dropped to his knees.

* * *

**Cutlass: A short sword that was commonly used by sailors in this time period. The normal crew members got them, while the first officers and captains got the longer, more profesional swords.

* * *

**

**A/N: And here's this chapter. I started it out with a lemon, nice, ne? Poor Riku, he was so close to getting to little Sora, but then Cid had turn around and be a pirate. Ohh! Everyone congratulate me! This story now officially has a plot. Well, ok, it had a plot before, but now it has a better, more detailed and thought out plot! Yay!**

**(Yawn) I'm sleepy. Ok, this is the second story I've updated today. I'm working really hard on Aishiteru right now. So hopefully I'll have that one and Forgetful Darkness done by Tuesday. And anything not updated before Tuesday won't be updated for another week at the latest. Just to let you all know.**

**REVIEWS!**

**Comment to Luthien-Ikari: (stands outside gates of hell with large baseball bat) You gotta come out sooner or later, you don't belong there either, after all.**

**Comment to Bittersweet Misha: My lemon writing hasn't been very good lately. Eh, it'll get better as time goes on, I'm sure.**

**Thanks to everyone who answered my question about what pocky was. Please review?**


	6. For Sora

**Hello! I'm going to tell you now that a wonderful review by the pen name Kaikao, drew some fan art for this fic. If you want to see the fan art say so in a review and make sure your profile has your e-mail displayed. E-mails do NOT show up in reviews. If you don't want to do that, e-mail me directly and I'll send the pic to ya. My e-mail is on my profile. Enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter Six: For Sora**

Riku was rather pleased with himself. He had challenged an entire pirate crew, all by himself, and come out of the ordeal alive. Sure, he was now in a cell waiting for the captain of the ship to decide if they were going to throw him overboard and let him drown or just cut his throat out and let him die. Despite the looming thought of his death, Riku was quite pleased with how he had kicked their asses.

That Yuffie girl had been fast, but was kinda clumsily and hot headed; Riku had taken her out first. After she went down, the other's got pissed and just ran at Riku screaming and waving their swords around, no grace or dignity at all. Riku had managed to knock a few of them out (he even though one overboard on accident) and get to Cid. It still brought a smile to his face as Riku remembered punching the older man so hard he fell flat on his back with the most dumbfounded expression on his face. Sadly, that move had caused him to let his guard down and one of the pirates knocked him out from behind. Riku had woken up in the cell and been told that the captain was deciding how to kill him.

Riku sighed; with any luck they would dump him in the water close enough to an island or something, where he could escape. Riku figured he'd be able to swim long enough to get to safety. He had to at least _try_. There was no way Riku was going to just lay down and die while Sora needed him. With another sigh, Riku leaned his head back against the wall with a small thump.

"I am so bored," he muttered aloud to no one.

* * *

"So who are you looking for?" A quiet voice asked. Riku blinked his eyes open, forcing himself to wake up a little bit. Since he had had nothing better to do, Riku had decided to take a nap. He glanced around and saw the blonde haired man from before standing at his little cell and watching him.

"What does it matter now?" Riku snarled. "I'm a dead man anyways."

"You're not a man," he said simply. "Not yet, anyways."

Riku glared at him. "Did fucking want something? 'Cause if all you came for was to insult me, I don't want to hear it."

"You're trapped in a very small cell," he pointed out. "You haven't much choice but to listen to me."

Riku's arm suddenly shot out from between the bars faster then the eye could see. His fingers just grazed the blonde's scarf before the bars stopped him from reaching any further. Riku's fingers flexed, itching to get a hold of the man.

"You're very fast…almost abnormally so," the other mused, making Riku stiffen. "My name is Cloud; I'm second in command of this ship."

Riku frowned at him. "Your point?"

"What is your name?" Cloud asked, ignoring Riku's rudeness.

Riku glared at him suspiciously before sitting down on the floor and leaning against the wall. "Toruko."

"So why are you chasing after Sephiroth and his pirates?" Cloud asked, leaning against a support beam for the ship.

"How'd you know he was the one I'm after?" Riku asked, confused.

"It wasn't hard to figure out," the man shrugged. "Cid said that the last pirates to have shown up at your town were Sephiroth's and that you were pretty desperate to get out of there."

Riku glanced away, staring at the floor in shame. "They took something of mine, I want it back."

"It has to be pretty important for you to risk your life for."

Riku's eyes narrowed and he shot a glare at Cloud. "Sora is everything to me! We have been together longer then either of us can remember! It's always been me and him against the world, watching each other's back and taking care of each other. Then the one time he needs me the most…I fail him. I just let him get taken away…let him become a slave."

Riku had his head turned away so he didn't notice the flash of hatred in Cloud's eyes. "Sephiroth…took him as a slave?"

"Left a pile of gold at me feet as if it was enough to compensate for loosing him," Riku muttered bitterly. "As if any amount of gold is worth what Sora is."

"Sephiroth…is the pirate we are trying to avoid," Cloud admitted. "It is because he's going to be at Traverse Town that we have decided to wait."

Riku sat up and scooted to the cell bars, staring intently at Cloud. "That doesn't work for me," he stated. "I need to get there before he leaves."

"Tell me, Toruko," Cloud began, staring Riku right in the eye, "Do you know what Sephiroth does with his slaves?"

Riku's brows furrowed together. "I don't know…make them work or something, I guess. Just treat them like a slave."

Cloud smile was sardonic and sad. "You have two choices, Toruko. We're sitting off the coast of an abandoned island. We can leave you there and you can hope someone comes along before you starve to death."

"Gee, how fun," Riku muttered sarcastically.

"Or, you can fight one of our crew members…to the death."

Riku couldn't help but stiffen at that. He had never killed before.

"You have one hour to decide, if you don't choose, we'll cut your throat and leave you for the fishes." He tossed his scarf over his shoulder and calmly walked out, leaving Riku to his thoughts.

* * *

An hour came a lot sooner then Riku thought it would. One of the crew members came down to the cell and let Riku out, pointing a sword at his throat and leading him to the deck where the entire crew was waiting. Riku put on an emotionless mask, glaring at anyone who dared stare at him. Even though he appeared calm and collected on the outside, on the inside his heart was racing and his blood pumping. He was pushed before the brown haired man, the captain, he assumed.

The man frowned down at him. "Did you make up your mind?"

Riku took a deep breath and stared him straight in the eye. "I don't kill." He stated clearly.

"So you wish to be marooned?"

"I don't kill," Riku repeated, ignoring the question. "But I do fight. I'll take on as many of your men as you want and if I beat them, you take me to Traverse Town as fast as this piece of junk can go."

The brunette pirate was not impressed. "No, you have your options, either choose from them or we choose for you."

Riku figured he would say that, but he had to at least try with his other idea. "Fine, but I get to choose who I'm fighting."

The pirate offered a half smirk. "Cid is too old to be fighting you, kid."

"Damn it," Riku cursed.

"HEY! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Cid shouted.

"If you want to fight," he continued, ignoring both outbursts, "You will fight Cloud."

Said man frowned. "Leon, are you sure?"

Leon, so that was the man's name. _'Bout damn time someone said it,_ Riku thought.

Leon nodded his head once. "Well, Toruko? Do you accept the terms?"

"Fine," Riku stood straight. "But what do I get if I win?"

"A free trip to Traverse Town and Cid will return your munny," Leon answered simply.

"What?" Cid yelled. "I fuckin' will not!"

"Oh shut up, Cid," the blacked haired girl, Yuffie, rolled her eyes. "It's not like he can actually beat Cloud; only Leon can beat him and even then it's really close."

She was staring at Riku with a slightly sadistic look in her eyes. _She's probably still pissed about me kicking her ass earlier,_ Riku mused.

"You will do as you're told, Cid," the captain ordered, his voice leaving no tolerance for arguments. "Do we have an agreement, Toruko?"

Riku nodded his head sharply. He would fight and he would win this, for Sora. If killing this blonde man was what he had to do, then Riku would do it. No matter how much he loathed the idea of killing or how scared he was about dying himself; Riku would fight and win to see Sora again.

A pirate stepped forward and shoved a medium sized sword in his hands. Riku grasped at the item; he had not expected to get a weapon. It would seem the pirates were deciding to play fair.

"Sure you can handle that?" The pirate said mockingly to him. Riku ignored him but as the man turned to get out of the way he stuck his foot out and tripped him. The crew laughed and the pirate glared hatefully at Riku, who didn't even spare him a glance.

Cloud had taken a sword that was slightly longer than Riku's. The silver haired teen was relieved that he wasn't planning on using that giant sword he had seen earlier; Riku was sure the little weapon he had now would never stand up against that thing.

"Begin," Leon's voice rang out coldly, surprising Riku a little. He thought he would have more time to prepare, but apparently not.

Cloud swung the sword in a circle, moving only his wrist; testing the swords balance. In a second Riku entered what Sora had once playfully labeled "fighting mode." His aqua eyes narrowed, red lips pressed into a thin line and he bent his knees slightly, sizing up his opponent with his eyes.

Judging from the blonde's build he was more a man of brute strength. The sword was longer, making it better suited for far away attacks; Riku would have to get under his guard. He would rely mostly on his speed for this fight; Cloud's size and heavy clothing would slow him down. Once Riku got under his guard he would finish it.

With a flick of his wrist, Riku's sword was diagonally held in a firm grip, protecting his vital points. It was a defensive move; he was giving Cloud first hit.

Cloud's blue eyes narrowed. This kid had gone from cocky to serious in the blink of an eye. Perhaps this wasn't going to be as easy as he originally thought. He watched as the silver haired teen took a defensive stance, giving him first shot.

Cloud smirked. "Didn't you know, Toruko?"

Cloud twisted his sword, allowing the polished metal to catch the sunlight and flash in Riku's eyes, making him flinch and shut them on instinct. Cloud took the opportunity to charge forward and using an upward slash, knock Riku back.

"The weakest is always the one to attack first."

Riku blinked the spots away from his eyes. Blinding the enemy with the sun; what a dirty trick, exactly what you'd expect from a pirate. Riku dashed forward, swinging his sword in tightly controlled swipe. Cloud blocked it easily and returned with a strike of his own. They traded blows for awhile before Cloud suddenly threw his weight against Riku, knocking the boy off balance.

Riku tripped and landed hard on his back on the deck. The pirates were cheering but he ignored him and concentrated on Cloud. The blonde was moving in to finish it but right when he got close enough Riku's body tensed and he shot himself up with unnerving speed, kicking Cloud square in the chest and sending him flying. It was a move Riku had often used on Sora when the brunette managed to knock him down and never failed to miss.

Cloud recovered from the blow quickly, though. The pirate crew was now hissing and booing, yelling for Cloud to get back up. Both fighters ignored them. Riku wasted no time running forward to finish the fight. The other pirates faded out into a blur as he charged forward, focusing only on the slow moving Cloud. He brought his sword high above him in an arc, aiming for the blonde's head. At the last moment, Cloud dodged to the left, saving himself from defeat, though his shirt was now torn.

Riku landed in a crouch, the pirates coming into focus for a second as he took a deep breath before charging Cloud again and ignoring his blurred out surroundings. Cloud was prepared this time, though, and switched into a defensive stance, blocking all of Riku's lightning fast moves.

It was over so fast that Riku barely had time to see what was happening before it happened. Cloud's eyes had flashed pure blue, completely covering the white and making the eye nothing but blue. His claws extended and knocked Riku across the face, though he wasn't cut because Cloud had used the back of his hand instead of the sharp side of his claws. Before Riku had time to finish falling from the unexpected blow, Cloud had swung his sword forward and used the blunt side of the weapon to hit his stomach, knocking the wind out of Riku and sending him sprawled to the deck.

Riku tried to stand up, but a pointed object resting on the skin of his throat stopped him from getting any higher then leaning on his elbows. He glared up at the man, defeat shining in his angry eyes.

"I thought the weaker attacked first," he hissed bitterly.

"They do," Cloud responded emotionlessly. "But you gave up that right to me."

Riku's eyes flashed but he was in no position to do anything about the insult. Besides, it was true. Riku had lost the fight, he was weaker then Cloud.

"Just shut up and kill me," Riku growled. He didn't need him to add insult to injury.

Cloud straitened his stance and turned to Leon, nodding.

"Aerith, take him below and treat his wounds. Cid, set a course for Traverse Town port," Leon ordered, turning and beginning to walk away, Cloud following right after him.

Riku blinked and scrambled to his feet, flinching a little at the pain in his stomach. "What are talking about?" He yelled. "You said if I lost, I died."

Leon turned cold eyes on him. "Would you prefer too? I'm certain I can arrange it still."

"It was simply a test, Toruko," Cid interrupted. "To see if you worth our time helping. It would be pointless to help you only to have you get killed the moment we dropped you off at the port."

"Yeah, but anyone who can last that long against Cloud has got to be good," Yuffie laughed. "Now let Aerith heal you up so that you don't fight like shit when we get to Traverse."

A woman stepped forward to Riku's side, smiling in a motherly way. She had long, dark brown hair that was twisted into a braid and bangs that arched into the air. Her skin was smooth and she had bright green eyes. She wore a very plain pink dress with spaghetti straps and a purple belt tide loosely around her waist. There were silver bracelets on her wrists and red ribbons in her hair. She wore overlarge brown boots that buckled.

"Come on now," she said pleasantly, her voice very girlish. "Let's get you fixed up so that you'll be nice and strong when we get to Traverse Town." She gently took his elbow and guided him below decks. Riku shot a suspicious glance at the pirates, but allowed himself to be dragged away anyways.

If they wanted to take him to Traverse Town, then who was he to argue?

"Was that enough?" Leon asked, standing in the room that he used as something like a personal office.

"Yeah, it was plenty," Cloud replied solemnly. "I'm certain he's one of them and even if he wasn't, he would still be very strong."

"Can you tell what his ability is?" Leon inquired.

Cloud shook his head. "No, not until I learn his style, what he can and can not do."

Leon nodded. "Fine, then for now we won't let this kid out of our sight. If he is one of them, it would be unwise to let him go."

Cloud inclined his head again. "Very unwise indeed."

* * *

**A/N: I am very pleased with this chapter. I love how the fight scene came out, exactly how I wanted it to. I also enjoyed Riku's internal dialog and stuff, it was fun to write. There was a scene in here with Sora, but it was only three paragraphs long and really had no point, so I took it out.**

**Well I'm loosing computer access for about three days because we're going on a trip, so no updates for a little while. I also wrote more on Dying Happily Living Lonely, but my school computer decided to freeze and I lost everything I had written. Yes, there was much anger and very inappropriate language. I got into trouble for attacking the computer.**

**All for now, until next time. Loves!**

**REVIEWS!**

**Question from Demon Slayer Kitsune: Why did Riku drop to his knees?**

**Answer: It was to get away from Yuffie's weapon. He dropped down so that it wasn't at his throat anymore.**

**Comment to Luthien-Ikari: Luthy…(pointed glare) Get out here, now. Don't make me come and get you.**

**All for now, until next time!**

**...Ain't it amazing how such a short chapter can hold such great importance?**


	7. Traverse Town

**Chapter Seven: Traverse Town**

Sora was in awe. For a moment he forgot all about his problems as he stared at the large port that was coming into sight. It was late, so there was no sun to guide them into the port, leaving the pirate crew to rely on a large lighthouse and numerous lamps lining the docks. Sora would have been afraid to dock a ship under these conditions, but the crew seemed to know exactly what they were doing and went about their tasks with confidence.

The port was huge, much larger then the one he had worked on back home. There were a few cargo ships docked farther down and many smaller passenger ships on the other side. Sephiroth's ship was pretty much docked in the middle. Despite the late hour, there were dock hands running about, hurrying to get things loaded or unloaded. Sora took everything in with huge eyes, smiling largely at the new sight. Now if only Riku were here with him, this moment would be perfect.

The ship hit the dock with a light thud and the crew began the process of tying the ship up. Shouts filled the oddly active night as people worked and ordered others around.

"Vincent," Sephiroth's voice carried easily over the noise of the workers. The man in question stepped up to his captain.

"Yes, sir?" He inquired solemnly.

"Get any supplies we will need and tell the crew they are free to do what the want when they finish their work."

Vincent nodded then seemed to blend into the dark as he walked away.

"Puppy," Sephiroth called. Sora completely ignored him, taking everything in through wide eyes. The pirate growled to himself in annoyance. He stalked forward and grabbed the excited child's wrist.

"Hey!" Sora yelled indignantly. Sephiroth clipped two identical bracelets onto his wrists. They were gold but with Sephiroth's insignia burned upon them.

"These are slave cuffs," Sephiroth explained shortly. "To prove you are mine."

"But I'm not yours!" Sora yelled, scratching at the accessories. "Take these off right now; I'm not your slave!"

A hard slap across his face stopped Sora from protesting anymore. Tears filled his eyes as he placed a hand on his burning cheek.

"I will not allow you to speak back to me in any way," the pirate glared. "I have been lineate so far, but no longer. You will learn your place."

Sora ground his teeth and glared defiantly at the man; he was not a slave and never would be.

Traverse Town was a large city. There were three districts in total. The first district was connected to the docks and had your basic supply shops. Things like weapons, healing herbs, and anything you needed on a day to day basis were sold here. The second district was slightly larger then the first and bursting with restaurants and bars. It had everything from the most prestigious of places to the dirtiest and run down stores that were little more the four walls, a ceiling and a dirt covered floor. The third distract was meant for entertainment purposes. Depending on the day there could magic shows from people trying to earn munny or a fighting tournament for the warriors who were bored. It was the place where thieves frequented and the whores of Traverse Town found their best paying customers.

Sora desperately wished he could look around. He could wander the streets for days and still find something new each time. But Sephiroth had strictly forbidden this, never letting Sora leave his side as he confidently made his way down the streets. Sora's head was constantly swinging left and right, as if he were watching a tennis match, trying to see more then he could.

The crew had taken off as soon as the ship was docked, most either went to the bars or to find a cheap whore or, disgustingly, an unwilling girl. Vincent had vanished and Sora didn't have a clue where. He was stuck simply following after Sephiroth into the second district where he lead them to a very classy hotel. After speaking (threatening) the receptionist, they were lead to the green room, one of the best rooms in the hotel that overlooked the dark alleys connected to the second district.

The room held one giant bed with a canopy covered in green sheets. There was a bathroom connected to it that had light, forest green tiling and matching curtains. Sora blinked as he took everything in.

"Well at least that answers why it's called the green room," he muttered to himself.

A knock on the door caught Sephiroth's attention but Sora ignored it in favor of studying a richly designed vase resting by the window.

"Vincent," Sephiroth called, knowing who was there without even opening the door. Sora would have questioned him on that if he had been paying attention.

The door opened and the black haired man entered, bowing to his captain. "He requests a meeting with you right away in the House of Dalmatians."

Sephiroth nodded his head approvingly. "Good." He scooped his sword into his hand, retying it around his waist. A loud crash had both him and Vincent on guard and glaring towards the window. Sephiroth growled in annoyance and swiftly walked to the door.

"Keep on eye on him," he ordered and disappeared down the hall.

Vincent turned back and frowned at an upset looking Sora, who trying to put the pieces of a vase back together.

* * *

"There you go, you'll be as good as new by the time we get to Traverse Town," the brown haired girl smiled kindly at Riku. She had finished bathing his bruises in a soothing ointment that took the sting away. His stomach was covered in black and blue bruises from Cloud's final attack, but at least they didn't hurt now.

"Thank-you," Riku said sincerely. "I appreciate it."

"It's a not a problem," she replied, standing up. "Well if you're feeling up to it, what do you say we get something to eat?"

"Um…" Riku's stomach suddenly growled loudly and he blushed slightly as Aerith laughed. "Sure, that sounds great."

She led the way to the kitchens, talking kindly all the while. Riku found himself liking the pretty girl; she was kind and enjoyed answering any questions Riku had. They arrived at the kitchens and got something to eat; two apples for Riku and a plate of cooked vegetables for Aerith. They took their meals on deck.

"Is that all you're going to have?" She asked in a motherly voice. "It seems so little and you're already so skinny."

"Oh gosh, Aer," a loud voice interrupted. Yuffie jumped down from one of the masts, joining the two on the deck where they were eating. "Don't start with all that "you need more to eat" junk."

"Well it's true, Yuffie," the girl huffed. "And you'd do well to put some meat on you as well."

"Gah!" She exclaimed in annoyance. "Kid, ignore mother over here. You eat as much or as little as you like."

Riku raised an eyebrow. "Ok, I will."

"Well fine," Aerith grumbled. "Just don't come crawling to me when you keel over and die of starvation!"

"Don't worry, we won't," Yuffie smiled.

"Yes, we'll be dead," Riku agreed, also grinning. Yuffie laughed at his joke and Aerith rolled her eyes, a trace of mirth dancing in them despite her upset face.

"So anyways," Yuffie turned to Riku. "What's your story, Toruko?"

"My story?" He repeated, finishing off one apple and starting on the second.

"Yeah, how'd you end up with Cid and why you so desperate to get to Traverse?"

Riku leaned back against the ship railing, thinking about how to start.

"Well, it's not a big secret or something," he began. "But pretty much some pirates came to the town I live in. They kidnapped someone very precious to me and now I'm chasing after them. I ended up with Cid because he agreed to take me to Traverse Town."

"Oh, I see," Aerith nodded. "So who's the girl?"

Riku pursed his lips and blew out a breath though his nose. "It's not a girl."

"Oh? So you're chasing after a boy?" Yuffie asked, sounding surprised before giggling madly. "Awe, gay love is so cute!"

Riku choked on his apple.

* * *

Vincent had convinced Sora to stop trying to fix the unfixable lamp and sent him to the bathroom to take a bath. The brunette had complied, still upset over breaking the pretty decoration. Once he was done showering, Vincent gave Sora an overlarge white long-sleeved shirt and a very short pair of shorts. The shorts were so small that the shirt almost completely covered them, making it look like he wasn't wearing anything at all. Sora pouted at the mirror.

"Vincent…" He whined. "I look like some…some street whore."

Vincent glanced up from where he was just finishing cleaning up the broken vase. "Despite how it looks outside, the nights of Traverse Town never really get cold. Those are only for sleeping in," the man assured him.

Sora pouted a little more but didn't say anything else. The clothes were kinda comfortable and at least he didn't have to go out into public dressed like this.

"Fine, fine," he grumbled. "Where'd Sephiroth go?"

"To meet someone, he will not be back until morning."

Sora's eyes lit up, the word escape flashing behind his eyes.

"Do not try," Vincent said coolly. "I will be watching you until the Captain returns."

"But why?" Sora cried. "Vincent, you know how much I hate it here! You know I want to go home! Why can't you just let me go?"

The red eyed man sighed and stood to face Sora completely. "Where would you go, Sora?" He asked. "You wear slave cuffs that bare Sephiroth's symbol on them. No one would help you for fear of their own lives. If anything they would turn you in, hoping to gain Sephiroth's favor."

Sora's eyes filled with sudden tears as the truth of what Vincent said sunk in. He knew he couldn't run without being chased, but he wanted to go home so badly. True…he was pretty sure he was at least physically attracted to Sephiroth, but that was it. Physical attraction meant nothing without the emotional back-up and despite how kind he was during sex; Sephiroth was truly nothing more than an overbearing asshole.

Vincent sighed and placed a hand on his head. "Please do not try, Sora," he implored. "I would not enjoy cleaning you up after you had been caught trying to escape."

Sora stared up at Vincent with scared eyes, the tears falling over. Somehow, things had never seemed real until now. Sora had hid himself away from all the pain he felt and allowed Sephiroth to manipulate him. He had listened when the man said that it was ok to allow himself to feel the physical pleasure of sex without the attachment of love. Sora had been so scared of what was happening he took any comfort that he could, and that meant believing the pirate captain's lies and lying to himself as well.

Sora sobbed loudly and cried into Vincent's chest. The black haired man took pity on the young boy and gently lifted him, carrying Sora to bed. He sat at Sora's side as the brunette cried himself to sleep before retiring to his own bed.

That night, the face in Sora's dreams did not come to him.

* * *

Riku was not in love with Sora. Sora was like his brother, his best friend; he was not his lover. Though no matter how many times he told Yuffie this, the self-proclaimed ninja just laughed at him. He had looked to Aerith for help, only to see that she, too, was trying hard not to laugh. The silver haired teen had gotten fed up and stood abruptly, turning and walking to the other side of the ship, away from the giggling girls.

Riku stood at the **bow** of the ship, staring mindlessly at the water. He couldn't love Sora, at least…not in that way. But then…what was up with him getting a hard-on on Cid's ship while he had been thinking about the younger boy? Not to mention the fact that he hadn't stopped thinking about him since they day he was kidnapped. Everything that had happened, everything Riku had done, it had all been in Sora's name.

Riku leaned over, resting his head on his arms as he thought. The sea was perfect; Sora had always said that his eyes had reminded him off the sea. He said that on a cloudless day with a bright sun, if you looked out at the water, right where the sun rays hit it, the water shined the same color as Riku's eyes. Riku had laughed when Sora said that and countered him by saying his eyes were the same color as that cloudless sky. It was one of Riku's favorite memories.

"Hey, Toruko," a loud, gruff voice called, breaking Riku from his thoughts. Riku straightened to see Cid standing there with a mop and bucket in hand. "The captain says if you're hitching a ride, you gotta pull your own weight." He threw the items at him. "So mop the deck."

Riku grunted and went back to watching the water. Cid grunted and left, mumbling it wasn't his fault if he got into trouble for not doing his work. After a few minutes, Riku sighed and grabbed the bucket, wandering off to find some water so he could get to work. He paused just long enough to glance at the perfectly clear blue sky.

_Sora_.

* * *

When Sora woke up, he noticed that he was alone. He sat up, yawning widely just as the door opened and Vincent came in, carrying some food. He looked mildly surprised to see Sora awake.

"You actually woke on your own," he teased lightly. "And here I thought I was going to have to dump water on your head."

Sora wrinkled his nose at him. "Ya know when I'm super tired, that doesn't work. I sleep though it."

"I'll have to remember that," Vincent nodded. "I brought you some breakfast." He placed the tray by Sora's bed; it was filled with large eggs, fried potatoes and some bacon. There was a glass of milk and orange juice sat to the side, Vincent took the milk for himself.

Sora smiled and grabbed at the bacon. "Wow, back home we never got any bacon unless it was a really special occasion. It was always too expensive for us to buy regularly."

"You needent worry about that now," Vincent replied. "You will want for nothing from now on."

"Except freedom," Sora pouted, looking sad. "Where is Sephiroth, anyways?"

"The meeting last night has taken longer then expected. He requested I keep you entertained until tonight." Here Vincent hesitated, but he knew that it would be best to say this now and let Sora prepare instead of being caught off guard later. "He will want…release when he returns."

Sora stiffened at the words but said nothing. He just continued eating his breakfast, his mind lost in thoughts about how to get out of this.

Once they had finished eating, Vincent threw Sora his clothes and said to get dressed; he was taking him shopping for new clothes. Sora forced away all thoughts of Sephiroth and what would most likely happen tonight and focused on the fact he got to go shopping and see a town he'd never seen before.

The day passed by in a blur. There were so many people and stores in Traverse Town that Sora could barely take everything in. Wakka had always told them stories about how Traverse Town never had a true day because there was no sun. None of them had ever really believed him, even when the red head had insisted that he got the facts straight from travelers themselves. But now that Sora was here, he found the stories had been true; Traverse Town always was dark. It got brighter during the day, but the city was always in a constant state of twilight, as if it was frozen in time.

Vincent was kind to Sora throughout the entire day, but he was more then a little stiff. He didn't laugh or run around and only spoke to Sora when the brunette initiated conversation. He spent most of the time waiting for Sora to stop and look at something or making sure Sora didn't get lost or run off. Vincent felt like an overgrown babysitter the entire day.

They bought numerous new outfits and the brunette was not stingy with the munny. He bought whatever he wanted all at Sephiroth's expense. By the time they were done, Sora had three new outfits and had even gotten some accessories, with Vincent's approval. Though by far, Sora's favorite purchase was a small hoop golden earring pierced into the cartilage of his left ear. He wanted to get three done, but Vincent had refused to let him get more then one; Sora had had to beg and whine for an hour before the pirate even allowed the one earring.

They headed back to the hotel as soon as the sun started setting, or when Vincent said the sun was starting to set, anyway; Sora couldn't see it in the sky. Sora was smiling and talking non-stop to the silent Vincent as they walked back to the hotel. They had only explored the second district today and Sora wanted to see all the other ones as well. Vincent nodded absently to him in reply as he opened the door to the green room.

Sephiroth came out of the bathroom just as they entered the room. He wore only a towel around his waist and his hair was wet; proving he'd just gotten out of a bath. Sora's happy mood was killed instantly as he suddenly remembered what was going to happen. Vincent bowed low to his captain and carefully took Sora's new things from the boy's hands. It would have been so much easier for Sora he had just continued believing all the lies; truth was always more hurtful.

He put the packages to the side of the room, noticing dully that Sora was now fidgeting. He turned to his captain once again.

"Did everything proceed ok?" He inquired.

Sephiroth snorted in annoyance, removing the towel from around his waist to begin drying his hair. He apparently didn't care that he had just bared himself for the world to see.

"He wanted more munny then we agreed upon," the pirate captain said. "It took some rather harsh…convincing but we made an agreement in the end. Go tonight and kill him, bring back all that I gave to him and anything else that may be valuable."

Sora gasped at the cold words but Vincent didn't even flinch. He bowed low and left without a word. Sephiroth turned and noticed the boy's wide eyed stare.

"We are pirates," he said simply. "Why do you think we are feared so much?"

"But you just…" Sora whispered, not able to comprehend how someone could just order the death of a person so casually.

"Yes, I just told one of my officers to kill and rob someone and he carried out the order without question," the pirate turned to face Sora fully. "And now I will do whatever I please with you."

_Riku. _

_

* * *

_

**Bow: The front part of the ship.

* * *

**

**A/N: Ok, funniest thing just happened as I was preparing to update this chapter. My step dad's vacuuming and something got stuck. My mom goes over there and tells him to take the bottom part off then to be careful 'cause she was putting it in reverse and turning it back on. She said to look in the hose thing and he did, just as she turned it on reverse. My step dad jumped and almost got sprayed in the eye with dirt. It was so funny.**

**Now, on to the actual A/N. There's no lemon this chapter. I wasn't feeling up to writing it. So Sora's made it to Traverse Town and Riku's will arrive tomorrow morning. But will Sora still be there when he gets there? Or will Sephiroth packed up and left? I'm actually looking forward to the next chapter.**

**REVIEWS!**

**Question from Baka-Chibi-Hikari: Wouldn't Riku's "ability" be speed?**

**Answer: Hey you, nice job, you caught it. If anyone else did they didn't say anything. There is also one more thing about Riku next chapter that will be revealed, be sure to look for it.**

**Question from Canis lupis: Is Riku one of what?**

**Answer: I'm not sure when that's going to be revealed. You'll just have to wait. Oh, and the "munny" typo thing, I'm using the word "munny" because in the game that's what the currency is called.**

**Comment to Elly Yuki: See review response above.**

**Comment to Luthien-Ikari: Yes! I love Vincent! I love Ryuichi too, but Vincent is way cooler. And Luthy if you don't get our here by the time I count to three I'm going to come in after you. And you don't want that…bad things will happen if I'm forced to get you…yes, very bad things…One…**

**Comment to Chaotic COOL: Irises! That's what they're called! I totally could not remember what they were called so I just described it with lots of words. Just for that, I'm giving you a cookie.**

**Ending note. For all those who read my other fic, Forgetful Darkness, it has been placed on hold for now. I don't know when I will start updating again, but I can promise that I will come back to it. I hate leaving things unfinished, especially my writings. But for now it's going to have to wait. Sorry.**

**That's all, feel free to review.**


	8. Life Sucks

**Chapter Eight: Life Sucks**

"Hey, how much longer until we get there?" Riku asked Yuffie, the third day he had been on the pirate ship.

Yuffie gave an aggravated sigh. "No matter how many times you ask that, the answers always going to be the same: we will get their tomorrow morning. No sooner." She turned to see his scowling face. "Why are you so jumpy anyways?"

Riku fidgeted, something he rarely did. "I don't know, I just…I get the feeling something bad's happened."

Yuffie squealed. "Oh, how cute! You can sense when your true love is in danger and can't rest until you know he's safe and back in your arms!"

Riku stared at her. "Shut up."

Though the crazy-ninja girl was right, in a way. Ever since they were little, Riku and Sora always knew when one was in danger. Whenever he felt something wrong, Riku always ran to help his best friend and his best friend always came to help him. Though a lot of the time Sora was more of a hindrance then a help, it was the thought that counted.

Riku snapped out of his musing when he felt someone poking his cheek. He glared at Yuffie and smacked her hand away. "What?"

"You zoned out on me," she pouted, but smiled quickly. "Were you daydreaming of your lover? Ooh…have you had sex yet?"

Riku flushed and fought to keep the blush from his cheeks. "For the last time, we're not lovers! And Sora's a virgin anyway!" So was he, but Yuffie didn't need to know that.

"**Kawaii**!" She exclaimed loudly, making Riku flinch and rub his ears. "You get to be the first one to have his virginity!"

Riku face-faulted.

A few hours later found the silver haired teen drifting in the water. He had tied a rope around his waist and dove overboard for a swim. He needed one after all of Yuffie's insinuations and annoying comments. He was really starting to dislike the dark haired girl.

But not even Riku could deny that he was attracted to Sora. He never stopped thinking about him, even before he was kidnapped, and he couldn't say no to the boy, no matter how hard he tried. Before everything he did, he always questioned himself: what would Sora think? Riku had never really realized how dependent he was on the younger one.

It was odd, really. Riku's first memory was of meeting Sora on the beach when he was only four years old. Everything before Sora was a blank. It was like he hadn't existed until he found him.

Flashback

His ears were ringing. He didn't know why, but he did know that he didn't like it. He was shivering too, his clothes were torn and ripped and it had only just stopped raining. Where was he? What was he doing here? The boy stopped, his brows furrowing in concentration.

Riku…yes, Riku. That's what his name was, Riku! And he was four years old. But where was here? How did he end up here? Alone on this beach, surround by large pieces of wood and other useless things. Riku sniffed, rubbing his small hands together in a futile attempt to get them warm. He didn't like this; he didn't want to be alone in some strange place.

Where were his parents? Did he even have parents? Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes and Riku squatted on the ground, allowing himself to cry. He couldn't help it! He was so scared and cold and hungry. He wanted to go home, but he didn't even know if he _had_ a home. Riku sniffed, he whished desperately for someone to be there with him, this was not something he wanted to face all alone.

The soft crunching of sand under feet was the only warning Riku had to someone approaching. A hand was placed on his shoulder and Riku jumped, turning around to look at the stranger with fearful eyes. It was a boy. He was somewhat smaller then himself and with really pretty eyes. He blinked at him.

"Why you crying?" The little boy asked.

Riku sniffed. "I'm not."

"Yes you is," he cocked his head, confused. "Did you get a booboo?"

"No."

"Then why are you so sad?"

"'Cause I'm alone," Riku admitted. "I don't know where I am or what I'm doing here." He was trying hard not to cry again.

"Really?" The boy's face lit up with a grin. "That's ok, I don't know either!"

"What?"

"I'm lost too," he sat down next to the silver haired child. "I just woke up and have been wandering around all alone since then. My name's Sora, I'm three and half."

Riku smiled. "I'm Riku, and I'm four in a half."

"Awe, I want to be the big kid," Sora pouted.

Riku couldn't help but smile at the cute face. "Too bad, you're way too small to be a big kid."

His pout deepened. "Am not!"

Thunder interrupted their argument and the smaller boy jumped to his feet, staring at the sky.

"What's that?" The little boy asked, sounding awed.

"It's thunder silly," Riku answered, standing up as well. There was another loud bang.

"I don't think I like it," Sora admitted, shrinking away. "Make it stop, Riku."

"You can't stop thunder," Riku frowned. "Besides, it just noise, it can't hurt you."

"How do you know?" Sora pouted.

"Because I know everything," Riku answered cockily. "Now come on."

"Where to?"

"To find somewhere to hide," Riku said in a "duh" voice. "Where there's thunder, there's rain. And we don't want to get caught in no rain."

Sora nodded in agreement; he was cold and wet enough as it was.

"Ok, lead the way, Riku," Sora offered. "I'll follow, promise."

Riku smiled at him, a truly happy smile. "Ok, don't worry. I promise I won't loose you."

He held his hand out to the younger boy and Sora took it, holding it tightly within his own. Together they started to walk along the beach, trying to find a place to hide.

Ending Flashback

Riku smiled at the memory, at his first memory. It had always bugged him that he and Sora had just ended up wandering on beach, all alone. Now that Riku was older and could think things though properly, he was fairly certain that the wood and junk he remembered on the beach had been wreckage from a ship. He had concluded a long time ago that he and Sora had been orphaned by a ship-wreck, or that was his theory, anyways. Sora never thought on their past; he said it only upset him. He claimed that he had Riku, Kairi and all the others now, so he didn't need a past.

Riku blew out a breath, still drifting in the water. It was getting colder now and Riku figured he should probably climb back up before he got sick. He reached to grab the rope that tethered him to the ship, just as it struck. What "it" was, Riku wasn't entirely sure at the moment. He just knew that something had suddenly jumped out from the water and attempted to bite him; only to miss and catch the rope, effectively cutting it from the ship and sinking Riku into the bottomless water.

* * *

Sora was sitting at the window, looking out at the dark sky with blank eyes. He was alone in his room, but no thoughts of escape were in his head. In fact, he wasn't thinking at all. Sora was doing his best to not think and not remember. Somehow everything hurt a lot more then before.

Sephiroth had gone all the way last night. Despite Sora's screams and cries, the pirate captain had forced himself into the younger one, stealing his innocence away. What made it hurt more was the fact that Sora had enjoyed it. He knew it wasn't his fault; human bodies accepted any type of pleasure, whether it was forceful or not. Riku had explained that was why so many raped people turned to suicide. They couldn't handle the thought of what had happened to them _and_ the thought that they had enjoyed it.

Sora contemplated killing himself. Even now as he sat, he had broken piece of glass held dangerously close to his wrist. Though it would be so easy to simply glide the sharp object against his skin and let all his pain drain away, Sora just couldn't bring himself to do it. The thought of never seeing Riku or his family again was simply too much to bear and filled him with an even greater fear then his fear of Sephiroth. Not to mention Sora didn't want his last memory of Riku to be when he was dragged away from him by pirates, kicking and screaming all the way. No, Sora wanted to see his best friend again and he wouldn't get to do that if he killed himself.

So with an angry sigh, he tossed the piece of glass away and let himself curl up on the floor. There was a knock on the door but Sora didn't acknowledge it, nor did he look up when Vincent stepped into the room.

"Sora?" Vincent called, noting how terrible the boy looked. When he got no response, Vincent stepped forward and placed his hand on Sora's shoulder. The reaction was instant. Sora screamed and shot up, smacking at Vincent hatefully.

"Do not touch me," he hissed.

"…" Vincent took in Sora's still naked form. He had a couple bite marks on his neck and his eye was black along with a few scratches here and there. All in all, it could have been much worse.

With sigh, Vincent withdrew his hand. "You need a bath. I will get something for your eye."

"Fuck you," Sora growled. "I want no help from some dirty pirate."

If Vincent was surprised by the outburst, he did not show it. It was only natural that Sora hate him, after all. If Vincent had let him go or even helped him to escape, then none of this would have happened. Instead the black haired man had followed his captain's orders and enforced the lies that had ultimately destroyed the boy.

"You need a bath," Vincent repeated. "I will come to check on you in no more then a half hour." He stood and headed out of the room, planning on going to get a healing potion for Sora's black eye. When he was gone, Sora seemed to collapse in on himself.

"I hate you all…" He whimpered.

* * *

Riku was pissed. That's all there was to it. He was trapped underwater with an unknown…_something_ that fully intended to eat him. This was the last time he allowed himself to be dragged after a ship like some kind of living bait. He really should have known better.

Back to more important things, Riku was currently stuck underwater and unable to see in the murky depths. He was running out of air too quickly for his liking and knew that his attacker was close by. Riku knew that in this kind of situation you were supposed to stay as still as possible because most water predators sensed the movement of the water to find their prey. Or was it that they used sonar…? He didn't know or care at the moment. Right now the only thing important was getting air back into his lungs.

Bracing himself, Riku swam as fast as he could straight up towards the dim light that was the sun. Something brushed past his leg and Riku swam faster, popping his head out of the water and taking a deep gulp of air. As he did so, he could hear shouting from the ship, which was a little ways away now, and could just manage to hear Yuffie screaming for him to get out of the water quickly.

Stupid girl. What the hell was he supposed to do? Fly?

The thing attacking him suddenly leapt from the water again and opened huge jaws, coming straight at Riku. Things seemed to move in slow motion and Riku realized that whatever this thing was it was as large as a shark, as nimble as a dolphin and was about to swallow him whole. Riku dove back under the water, having no other place to go. The creature just barely missed him and Riku didn't stop to thank his luck but swam as fast as he could back towards the pirate ship.

He managed to get there faster then most people would have thought possible. Unfortunately the thing had followed him, dead set on having Riku for dinner. Riku surfaced and gulped in air, looking for a way up the ships side. The rope that had tied him to the ship was too far up to grab and there was no way he could climb on the steep sides without help.

"Swim to the side!" Yuffie was yelling. "To the step ladder, Toruko!"

Riku didn't get a chance to process the idea as a hard blow sent him forcefully under the water. The thing had hit him with its tail, knocking the sense out of him. Riku flailed in the water, panic taking over his mind as his air supply ran out and he swallowed water. Another swipe from the things tail pushed Riku even farther under water, yet oddly enough it also seemed to knock the sense back into him.

Riku forced himself to calm down and swam to the ocean surface again. He felt his legs kicking harder then they had ever before and was vaguely aware that he was swimming in a similar manner as a merperson. Then, with one last mighty push, Riku broke the surface and flew from the water, the thing trying to eat him right behind him. Riku just barely managed to grab his rope and lift his body up as the thing's jaws closed, snatching at air.

Riku used his arm strength to scramble higher on the rope before looking down at the odd shark/dolphin hybrid. It was still swimming underneath him, waiting for the teen to fall. Riku felt a tug on the rope and was moving upwards as the pirate crew pulled him back onto the ship. Riku climbed over the edge and landed with thud on the deck.

"Kid, are you all right?" Cid demanded, looking at Riku in sheer amazement.

Riku blinked. "That. Sucked."

* * *

Sora finished his shower and got dressed; wearing the clothes he had bought yesterday. They were all he had; otherwise he never would have touched them. Vincent entered the room, bringing with him a large breakfast.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow morning," he told Sora, who didn't even look at him. "You will be alone till then. If you want to go anywhere, simply ask."

Vincent half-hoped for answer, but Sora remained stubbornly silent. After a minute, the black haired man gave up and left. Sora didn't eat a single bite of the food; instead he simply stared out the window and didn't think.

* * *

**Kawaii- Cute

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**

**A/N: So Sora and Sephiroth will be leaving Traverse Town just as Riku and Cloud will be getting there. Will they get there in time to doing something, or will they get there and Riku shall be forced to watch Sora sail out of his reach again?**

**This chapter was mostly a filler. I wanted to show Riku's last ability before he got to Traverse Town. As for Sephiroth full out raping Sora…well that's why I couldn't really write the lemon. I don't mind rape mentions or stuff, but I just can't read/write a rape scene. I liked the flashback scene though, and little Sora's promise to follow Riku and Riku's promise not to loose him.**

**REVIEWS!**

**Comment to Luthien-Ikari: I warn you now, Draw-girl. If you attack Sephiroth because of this chapter I _will_ bite you. Oh, and the lyrics didn't show up. Links and stuff don't appear on reviews…you think you'd know that by now.**

**Comment to marikandcloe: Did California even exist in this time period?**

**Comment to Baka Shojo: I haven't really gotten that far in the story yet for the title to make sense. But trust me, it will make sense further on.**

**Comment to Serenity Cathedral a.ka. Serena429: Did I ever e-mail you with that link? I think I was going to but forgot. Oh well, the link is on my profile page, if you still want it. And since I update this chapter, you should be able to find this story in the KH section easily now.**

**I think I want a new summary for this, to attract more reviewers, but I can't think of any. If anyone wants to help me out, e-mail me. **


	9. I Challenge You For Life

**Chapter Nine: I Challenge You For Life**

"It's about damn time." Was all Riku had to say upon their arrival in Traverse Town. Riku was still a little pissed off about the incident with the shark/dolphin thing but pushed all thought of it to the back of his mind as they began docking on the remote side of the dark city. Riku took everything in, just as amazed as Sora had been, though he didn't show it like the younger boy had.

Riku had just gotten over his shock at the strange new place when Cloud stepped up behind him.

"Sephiroth's flag ship has been reported to be docked at the main docks," he said. "Our bargain is now paid in full."

Riku met his gaze and nodded. "Thank you for bringing me here." Without another word, Riku jumped over the ship railing, landing effortlessly on the wooden docks and sprinting away. He was going to find Sora, no matter what.

* * *

Sora was still sitting and staring out the window the day they were scheduled to leave. Per Vincent's orders, he had taken a bath and gotten dressed, but he still refused to eat. Vincent and Sephiroth mostly left him alone, having things that needed to be taken care of before they departed. This suited Sora just fine, as it gave him plenty of time to plan his escape, because that's what Sora had decided he would do. The **full moon last night had been broken by thin clouds**; Wakka had once said that that meant something terrible was going to happen. Sora completely ignored the supposed warning.

He would escape or die trying.

* * *

Riku could really use a map right about now. Traverse Town was much larger then he had expected and was absolutely full with people. You couldn't take two steps without running into someone or getting stepped on. So far Riku had managed to search what was called the third district and had scanned the first one.

After noticing the first district was barely more then a bunch of stores, Riku had decided to go to the second, where he found hotels and restaurants. He started at one end of the street and began searching though every building he could get into. No matter how long it took, he _would_ find Sora.

* * *

Vincent had come and told him that they would be leaving in less than an hour and to make sure he was ready to go. Sora ignored him. He was still standing by the window, staring out at the sky. A flash of silver from the street below caught his eye and the brunette sneered. Was the great Sephiroth actually going to come get him personally? Sora glanced down to the street, debating on whether or not he could get away with spitting on the pirate, but froze when he saw who it was.

Sora would know that face, those eyes, that hair cut, anywhere. That wasn't Sephiroth…that was Riku! His head was turning back and forth, hair flying around his face from the constant movement; it looked like he was searching for something.

_Could it be?_ Sora thought desperately. _Did Riku finally come for me?_

Without thinking of the consequences, Sora ran from the room. He forgot all about being Sephiroth's slave and everything else that had happened to him, focusing all his thoughts on Riku. Because of this, he missed the pirate as he charged past him.

Sora flew onto the streets, looking around franticly.He couldn't see Riku anywhere and started off in the direction he had last seen his friend going. Sora longed to yell out for him, but had enough sense not to draw any unwanted attention to himself. The brunette was just starting to think he imagined Riku when he caught the silver hair glinting in the sun. Riku was leaving a small hotel and heading to the next one quickly.

Forgetting all about caution, Sora felt happiness bubble up inside of him and screamed.

"RIKU!"

The silver haired teen froze and whipped around at the sound of his name. Sora jumped up and waved, earning annoyed and odd looks from people, but he didn't care. Riku spotted his jumping form and immediately ran towards the boy, ignoring all the people he shoved along the way.

With a happy cry, Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's waist tightly, burring his face into the smaller one's neck. Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's neck and held him back just as tight, terrified he'd loose him again if he let go. Tears of relief sprang to his eyes as it sank in that Riku was actually _there_ and not a figment of his imagination. He hid his face in Riku's hair; everything was going to be fine now.

"Sora…" Riku breathed. "Thank god…I was so scared."

Sora sniffed. "I thought you weren't afraid of anything," Sora whispered, not making any movement to let go of the older teen.

"Congrats, you've proved that statement false," Riku mumbled in reply. He pulled away to look Sora in the eye. "Don't ever leave my side again."

"I won't," Sora promised. "I'll follow you, Riku."

"And I'll never loose you again," the silver haired teen smiled at him. He took in Sora's face. "What happened to your eye?"

"Please don't," Sora whispered. "I'll tell you later…but not now. I just found you…I promise to tell you later."

Riku nodded, he wanted to know what had happened to his friend but it was obvious that Sora was scared and hurt. Finding out what had happened to him could wait; right now the most important thing was to get away from Traverse Town and Sephiroth. They had to leave before they were caught.

"Come on," Riku took his hand in his own, gripping it tightly. "We shouldn't be standing in the middle of the street like this. We've got to find a place to hide before that fucking pirate comes looking for you."

Sora nodded and clung to Riku as they made their way down the streets. "Do you have a way back home?"

"No, I had to hitch a ride here with some pirates," Riku admitted, Sora looked at him curiously. "They're actually kinda decent. You'd never guess they were pirates if it wasn't for the flag."

* * *

Vincent sighed as he watched Sora and the silver haired boy run off down the street. The guard who had been posted to keep an eye on Sora had come to find him right after the brunette had run past him earlier. The pirate guard hadn't stopped him because all of Sephiroth's pirates were under strict orders not to touch Sora.

Sephiroth and Vincent both new what would happen to the little boy if that rule wasn't in place.

Vincent traced the two teen's movements with his eyes before jumping to the next rooftop to be able to follow them without worry of being spotted. They were good at blending into crowds, he'd give them that much. But the silver hair and wild brown spikes were easy to spot, especially from such a high vantage point. Vincent could tell that the two were trying to act natural but we also moving as fast as they could without drawing unwanted attention to themselves; yes, the boys were very good at running and hiding.

As the pirate followed them, he debated on what to do. He knew without a doubt that he had to bring Sora back to Sephiroth; that went without saying, but the question was now: did he simply bring the boy back, or did he tell Sephiroth he had run away and let his captain deal with it?

Despite Vincent's cold exterior, he had come to like Sora. The happy-go-lucky attitude was a refreshing change from the cold hearted pirates of his crew. The boy had an optimistic personality that drew people to him and, as proven with Vincent, he could be-friend just about anyone he wanted to. Vincent knew that Sora would be punished harshly for running away; he may not even survive the "crime" since Sephiroth did not go easy on those that tried to run from him. Vincent did not wish to see the child end up like that, because somewhere along the way, he had become rather attached to Sora.

Sora and the other boy, Riku, turned down a side street and stopped, leaning close together so they could speak. Vincent waited and watched from a nearby rooftop as they conversed, Sora looking sad and hopeless while the other just looked more determined and angry. Finally they started moving again and it didn't escape Vincent's notice that they never released each other's hands.

The dark haired man frowned sadly; he could not condemn either of them for loving each other. He would wait until they were alone then take Sora back to the hotel and not mention to Sephiroth that he had tried to run away. As for the other teen, Riku…

If he followed, Vincent would kill him, otherwise he would be free to go.

* * *

Riku led them down a side street and stopped, allowing the two to catch their breath. Riku leaned towards Sora, speaking in his ear incase someone overheard them.

"Remember when we were younger, how we always charmed people into giving us money or a place to stay?" He whispered.

Sora shivered at Riku's closeness. "Yes, but that only worked when we were younger."

"We can always try," Riku pressed. Sora shook his head.

"No…" He held up the hand that wasn't clutching to Riku's. "These are slave cuffs," he explained. "If anyone sees me with them on, they'll know I belong to Sephiroth and turn us in. No one dares to go against him."

Riku looked at the golden bracelets and scowled deeply. "You're not his," Riku hissed. "First we find a place to hide, then we get these things off of you." He looked Sora straight in the eyes. "You're not his."

The brunette smiled weakly and nodded. "Let's go." Riku nodded in return and they hurriedly left.

_I wish I could believe you, Riku,_ Sora thought. _But he already claimed me, in more ways then one.

* * *

_

Cloud carefully picked his way though the wreckage of the House of Dalmatians. Behind him Leon was kneeling down next to an old couple that were lying over their dogs, protecting them even in death. Cloud turned away and walked over to a cabinet. It was broken open and completely empty.

"Not Sephiroth's usual style," Leon commented dryly, closing the eyes of the murdered people.

"Vincent killed them," Cloud replied, searching for any hidden compartments in the cabinet. "You can tell by the puncture wound in their necks."

"Vincent has never been this sloppy," Leon countered.

Cloud shrugged. "Burglars probably broke in after they were killed. Thieves and such have always tried to get into this house but have never been able to because of the Dalmatians guarding it. With the dogs gone, it's easy picking."

Leon nodded. "Anything?"

"No, it's gone," Cloud answered. "They got it first."

"Damn," Leon cursed. "We've got to get that map back; it's the only thing that can lead us to the straights."

Cloud nodded in agreement. "I know."

* * *

Riku realized he had made a mistake leaving the populated streets when a dark haired man dropped down in front of him and Sora from the rooftops. Riku stopped mid-step and shoved Sora behind him.

"Who the fuck are you?" Riku demanded.

"Vincent…" Sora whispered behind him, making Riku frown. Now he recognized the man; he was the one that had stopped Sora from running away when he was first taken. Well he wasn't going to let him get in the way again, there was no chance in hell Riku was letting Sora go.

"I'm going to take you back now, Sora," Vincent said clearly. "I'll let your friend go, but you must return with me."

"No chance," Riku interrupted harshly. "Sora is coming home with me."

"To where?" Vincent turned cold eyes on him. "Back to your home? Sephiroth will follow and destroy the town you live in. Even if you don't go there, he'll hunt you forever."

"Why?" Sora demanded. "Why can't he just find someone else? Someone more willing!"

"He could do that with or without you," Vincent pointed out. "He will not let you go on principle; no one escapes Sephiroth's grasp. Because of that, he will hunt you forever."

Sora moved closer to Riku, pressing his body right against his older friend's. Riku glared at Vincent. "Then I'll kill him." Vincent blinked, showing his surprise. "If that's what it takes to free Sora, then so be it."

"You're challenge is accepted," A new voice said from behind them. The teens whipped around to come face to face with Sephiroth himself, his long sword already drawn.

* * *

…**full moon last night had been broken by thin clouds**…**: I'm not sure where I heard this, I think it might come from an Indian legend. Either that, or I saw it on a movie about Indians. Either way, it just means when you see a full that has a thin cloud running across the middle of it that something bad will happen the next day. That's all.

* * *

**

**A/N: This chapter had a lot of scene changes in the beginning. But yay! Riku and Sora have found each other again! Boo…now Riku has to either kill Sephiroth or Sephy's gonna kill him and take Sora back! So, who do you all think will win the fight? I'm rather curios to know if you want Riku or Seph to win, either way I already know the winner, but I'd just like to know reader's opinions.**

**Sorry for taking so long to update. I've just been busy. I have an appointment in a couple weeks to find out if I have carpel tunnel or not. Yay, that's so exciting. (rolls eyes) But I'm working diligently on Dying Happily Living Lonely and I'm pretty sure that will be the next story updated.**

**And I'll have you know, I like trees.**


	10. Why did it have to be us?

**And here's a new chapter. I think I'll go and hide and hope people aren't _too_ mad at me for the ending of this…**

**Chapter Ten: Why'd it have to be us?**

"Set sails and prepare to leave," Leon ordered, retuning with Cloud to their ship. "Cast off as soon as we're ready."

"Aye, aye, Captain!" Yuffie saluted and hopped off to get things done.

"Did we find what we were looking for?" Cid asked.

"No, they beat us to it," Cloud informed him. Cid let loose a long stream of swear words.

Just as Cid was walking away, Aerith came running up the docks, calling for Cloud loudly. He stepped to the ship railing and looked down at the out of breath woman.

"What is it?" He asked quietly. "We're almost ready to leave."

"It's Sephiroth," she gasped out.

Cloud froze as he felt Leon walk up behind him. Their eyes met for a long minute and it was Cloud who looked away first.

"You've got ten minutes," Leon said simply, turning and leaving. Cloud wasted no time and jumped onto the deck, singling Aerith to lead the way.

"Thank you," he whispered, knowing that Leon would somehow hear him.

* * *

Riku turned to face the pirate captain fully, a frown marring his face. He took one look at the man and knew there was no way he could win a fight against him. Sephiroth was much stronger and had been in far more fights then Riku. He held himself confidently, wielding his large sword with grace.

"You will fight an unarmed opponent?" He questioned, stalling for time as he thought of a plan. It didn't matter how much stronger Sephiroth was; Riku was fighting for _Sora_.

"You should have procured a weapon before challenging me," the pirate shrugged and was suddenly charging towards him.

Riku let his instincts take control as he shoved Sora away from him and dived the opposite way. He didn't waste anytime before getting up and moving to put distance between the pirate and himself. Across from him, Sora landed with a hard "umph" on the ground and his blue eyes widened in horror as he watched Sephiroth's sword come unnervingly close to cutting Riku's face. Sora tried to run to his friend's aid, but strong arms grasped his waist, pulling him away. Sora looked up to see Vincent moving him away from the fight.

"Vincent…" Sora whispered.

"…"

Sora turned his frightened eyes back to the fight just in time to see the sword slice Riku's arm.

Riku yelled in pain as the cold metal cut open his flesh, letting the blood run freely down his arm. He was having trouble staying out of the pirate's reach because of how long his sword and arm length was. And with no weapon of his own, Riku was having an even harder time defending himself.

Sephiroth raised his weapon again, his eyes shining cruelly in the dim light of the town. He brought it down and Riku did a summersault to the left. It was one of Sora's favorite moves; he had even given it the name "dodge roll." Again Sephiroth swung at him, but Riku had enough time to see it and move out of the way without a problem. It was then he noticed Sephiroth's weakness.

The man was fast and had a long reach, but he couldn't use his sword in close quarters without risking cutting himself in the process. If Riku could just find a weapon and get inside the pirate's guard he might just have a chance. Riku dodge rolled again, straitening and casting his eyes around desperately for some sort of sword.

What he found was a piece of wood. It was about ten feet from Sora and Vincent and right behind Sephiroth. Riku blinked once and moved forward. Suddenly everything seemed as though it was going in slow motion as he charged straight at Sephiroth. He registered the surprise on the pirate's face for a brief moment before Sephiroth raised his sword above his head. Right before the weapon hit him, Riku dove to the ground and slid forward a few feet, grasping the piece of wood. He twisted his body around and threw the object as hard as he could at the pirate captain.

It cut his hand, making him drop his sword. The world sped up again.

Riku was lying on the ground, battered and bruised and breathing heavily. Sephiroth stood, glaring down at his fallen sword and bloody hand. For a moment there was nothing but silence.

"…It has been awhile since I have last bled," Sephiroth said casually, as if he was only commenting on the weather. "Most would be surprised to see that my blood truly is red and not black, as they say my heart is."

No one answered and Riku slowly climbed to his feet, ignoring the pain searing through his body.

Sephiroth picked up his sword and turned to face Riku. "You are impressive, especially for one so young." He glanced at Vincent and a knowing look was passed between the two as Vincent nodded mutely. "A shame such potential has to be destroyed. But no one makes me bleed and lives to tell the tale."

He brought his sword up high and Sora screamed, begging Riku to run away. But Riku could barely move, it was taking all his effort just to remain standing. He had never used his "slow-motion" trick against such a fast enemy before; it had left him exhausted. But even so, he couldn't give up! He couldn't just stand here and die. This was for Sora. _His_ Sora. He would not loose!

Just as the sword came striking down, Riku allowed his legs to collapse under him. He fell to the dirt and the weapon sailed through the air right where his head had been. Riku kicked out with a leg, hoping to knock Sephiroth off balance. The pirate saw the sluggish move and jumped up, avoiding the kick. He then landed on the outstretched leg, making Riku cry out.

Pressing harder on the teen's leg so he could not get away, Sephiroth raised his sword again. Riku stared up at him and realized he was out of tricks. His body was in too much pain, the slightest movement made his muscles scream in protest, he couldn't use his best skills because of how tired he was and he couldn't run away with Sephiroth standing on his leg and because that would mean leaving Sora.

Riku stared up at the man who looked too much like himself for comfort. He watched as the sword came closer to his face. Riku's eyes narrowed and he stared at the pirate defiantly. He may be about to die, but he would not cower and he would not beg. He would look his straight in the eye and accept his fate bravely and without hesitation.

_Please forgive me, my Sora._

Sora watched in horror as the sword swung at Riku's face. He could see the cold acceptance in his friend's eyes and knew that Riku was steeling himself for death. But he could not let that happen. Riku had come all this way for him, had risked his life for Sora. He couldn't just stand here and watch his best friend die. What would Sora be without Riku?

With strength born from adrenaline and fear, Sora forced his way out of Vincent's hold. The man, who had not been expecting the move, was too slow to grab Sora back as the brunette charged towards the fighting. He ignored Sephiroth completely, only seeing Riku and how close the sword was to him. With a scream, Sora dove into Riku, covering him with his own body as they skidded a few feet across the ground.

Riku was trembling as he stared at Sora's prone form on top of him. He tentatively reached out a shaking hand to the younger boy and placed it on his back.

"Sora?" Riku gasped. He pulled his hand away to find it covered in sticky blood.

Sora just smiled up at him. "Don't scare me like that," he teased weakly. His blue eyes went dull and the smile faded as Sora's body seemed to collapse on itself. He didn't wake up again.

"Sora? SORA!" Riku screamed, shaking the younger. "Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!" But no matter how hard he tried, the brunette just wouldn't open his eyes.

Heavy footsteps walked up to where they lay, but Riku couldn't tear his eyes away from Sora. He clutched at his friend in growing horror as the blood continued to poor from his back. Riku didn't notice he was crying.

The footsteps stopped right next to them for a moment before the person then took a protective stance in front of the boys. They drew no weapon, only turned to face Sephiroth head on.

"Cloud." The pirate captain stated. Vincent moved to stand behind him and Aerith quickly hurried to Sora and Riku's side.

"Sephiroth." Cloud answered back, staring the man he hated and loved in the eye.

"You stand in my way, remove yourself," he ordered.

"No."

Cloud raised a hand and whispered something under his breath. Sephiroth felt a warm, tingling sensation on his hand and looked down just as his cut healed. He turned back to Cloud.

"I'm taking these two back to my ship," Cloud said firmly.

Sephiroth spat. "To your precious Leon? I will not allow it. One is my slave and the other I have marked for death."

Cloud showed no emotion on his face. "…As a favor to me, I ask that you allow me to take both these boys."

Sephiroth's eyes darkened. "You dare ask favors after abandoning me?"

"…You know the reasons behind that as well as I," Cloud replied, struggling not to get emotional.

"Yes," the pirate sneered. "You were afraid. Too soft-hearted to do what needed to be done. You could not face your crimes so you ran away from them."

Cloud's fists clenched. "You still owe a favor," he pressed on. "For telling you of the Islands and where to get a map to them."

Behind Sephiroth, Vincent's body tensed ever-so-slightly. No one noticed.

The pirate sneered. It was true; he _did_ owe Cloud a favor. But he didn't have to pay him back now; he could always wait till later. Sephiroth swung his sword once and sheathed it.

"I will let them go for now," he said clearly. "But only for now. No one escapes my reach and I will have both their heads decorate my walls." Still, even after all that had happened, Sephiroth could not bring himself to say no to those eyes. It angered him beyond belief.

Without another word, Sephiroth turned on his heal and gracefully walked away, his hair flowing behind him like a cape.

The minute he was out of sight, Cloud swung around and kneeled next to Riku and Sora. He looked to Aerith and she shook her head.

"I don't know if I can help him," she admitted. "But I will try. We need to get him back to the ship."

Cloud nodded and turned to Riku. "Toruko? Toruko!" He shook him and Riku jumped, staring at Cloud with dazed eyes. "Listen to me, Toruko. We're taking you both back to the ship. You have to get up."

"Sora…" Riku whispered.

"Is coming with us," Cloud responded firmly. "Now get up, Toruko."

Cloud reached out and took Sora into his arms, carrying him easily. Riku scrambled to his feet as well and the group ran as fast as they could back to Leon's ship.

* * *

Riku opened his eyes and groaned. The sun was shining right on his face and he wanted nothing more then to hide under his covers and make it go away. He tried to turn on his side but a searing pain in his ribs stopped him. Riku groaned and coughed before deciding that staying on his back was probably the best thing for now.

Hurried footsteps were heard and the door to the small room was flung open. Aerith walked in, looking worn out and in desperate need of sleep. She carried a bowl of water with a towel and some bandages. Riku watched through half open eyes as the brunette girl walked over to anther bed where someone slept.

"So…ra…" Riku gasped, his voice horse and ragged sounded. Aerith jumped nearly a foot in the air.

"My goodness," she breathed. "Toruko, do not scare me like that." She hurried over to him. "How do you feel?"

"That's a stupid question," Riku forced out. "Water?"

"Oh, of course." She picked up a pitcher of water sitting by them on a nightstand and filled a cup up before holding it to Riku's lips. "How's that?"

Riku took a shaky breath before nodding his thanks. "Sora?"

"Sleeping," Aerith answered.

"Is he ok?" Riku demanded. "He got hurt…all that blood."

Aerith bit her lip. "The wound was a deep one and he did loose a lot of blood…"

"Aerith." Riku fixed her with a piercing look. "Is Sora ok?"

"I've done everything I could for him," she burst out. "It's all up to him now."

A tear slipped down his cheek as Riku closed his eyes and passed into sweet oblivion again.

* * *

Riku's eyes slowly opened. It took him a moment to realize that he had opened them since the room was pitch black. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. Across the room he could hear labored breathing and the sound brought both comfort and fear to him. At least Sora was still alive, but for how long? The thought of loosing his best friend filled Riku with fear. Even when he had believed that Sephiroth was going to kill him, Riku had not been as terrified as now with the thought of loosing Sora.

Despite the pain in his ribs, Riku struggled to get up. An overwhelming desire to be with Sora drove him to ignore the pain and slowly make his way to the other's bed. Riku felt blindly for Sora, feeling his warm body before finding and grabbing his hand. Sora's skin was hot; he most likely had a fever. Riku felt his arms and could feel scrapes and cuts there.

_They must have been trying **to bleed the fever out of him**_, Riku thought.

A spasm went through the younger boy's body and Sora started coughing harshly. Riku reached out and ran his fingers through Sora's hair, whispering reassurances that he knew Sora couldn't hear. A tear slipped down his cheek and Riku took a shuddering breath, trying to hold back his sobs.

Why had this happened? Why had Sora gotten hurt? They had never done anything to deserve this. They…they were just orphan kids trying to make the best out of things. Everything had been so good, so happy back home. Living with Kairi and the others in a house they had built _themselves_, having dreams and getting into trouble. Just being teenagers.

So why did that all have to change? That bastard Sephiroth could have chosen _anyone_ as his slave, why did he have to go and pick _Sora_? Why did he have to ruin their lives? Riku sniffed and carefully crawled into bed next to his friend and gently wrapped his arms around the brunette's waist.

"I should have protected you better," Riku whispered. "I'm so sorry, Sora, please, forgive me." He buried his face into the large mound of hair. "Please, _please_, Sora. Don't leave me…"

Riku quietly cried himself to sleep, holding Sora tightly in his arms.

* * *

…**to bleed the fever out of him: In old days when medicine wasn't very advanced, people would cut themselves when they had a fever hoping that they could "bleed" the fever out of their bodies. It doesn't work. More often then not, that just made things worse.

* * *

**

**A/N: All of my stories are in "angst-mode" now. Dying Happily Living Lonely is going to be a sad chapter as well. And in this one, Sora might die. What do you guys think? Will I kill him? I'll bet my friend Luthien can guess, she usually knows my style of writing pretty well.**

**I'm so hungry and my mom's making Tacos. I love tacos. I guess that's all, then.**

**REVIEWS**

**Question from Baka Shojo: Are they any blood relations between Sephiroth and Riku?**

**Answer: No. And there's a reason for that which will be explained hopefully in one or two chapters.**

**Question from Baka Shojo: Will Riku and Sephy join forces to take on Ansem?**

**Answer: Secret. Ansem's role has yet to be revealed.**

**Hmm…not many questions this time 'round. Good, that means I'm not being confusing.**

**Much love to the randomness!**


	11. Good Afternoon

**A/N: Quick note before the chapter. I've been posting lemons and stuff on AFF right? Well I've gotten upset and very angry at that website so I'm going to stop doing that. I've gone back and added all lemons and stuff into chapters five and three. Just to let everyone know. When there's a lemon in the story again, I'll be sure to put up many warnings, so that those who wish to skip it may.**

**Chapter Eleven: Good Afternoon**

"It's been five days already," Yuffie sighed, swinging her legs back and forth as she sat on the ship railing. "I wonder how they're doing."

"Toruko's woken up, but he won't move or talk or anything," Aerith sighed. "He just sits with that Sora kid and holds him. It's like he's lost the will to live."

"Probably almost has," Cid agreed, looking over the railing and out to sea. "We saw all the shit he went through to find that other kid. It must be hard finding your love only to have them ripped away the minute you do."

"How sad," Yuffie frowned. "I hope he wakes up; I don't like Toruko like this. Isn't there anything you can do, Aerith?"

The brunette shook her head. "I've done everything I could and the wounds too dangerous to just sew up. I have to be sure everything on the inside is fine before trying to close it."

"So then it's all in that little kid's hands, then? His and Toruko's lives," Cid grunted. "Maybe it would be kinder to let him die."

"Cid!" The girls exclaimed. "How can you say that?"

"You two know what happened to him, what Sephiroth does with his slaves," Cid snapped. "Remember what Cloud was like when we first met him? Even if that kid does live, he's going to be messed up in the head."

The two girls fell quiet and turned sad eyes out over the water. After a minute, Aerith spoke.

"Cloud made it," she whispered. "And he's better for it now. And this kid will make it to."

"He better," Yuffie muttered. "I rather like Toruko."

* * *

"…" Cloud moved away from the top deck railing and walked over to where Leon was standing at the **bow** of the ship. Both stared out at sea for awhile before Cloud spoke.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly. Leon didn't even glance at him.

"I knew we would have to deal with Sephiroth sooner or later if I took you in," he stated simply. "I simply did not expect for there to be two more people involved."

"Sephiroth sure knows how to pick'em too," Cloud sighed, running a hand through his blonde hair. "Thos two are D.I.'s, I'm certain of it."

"Even that other kid…Sora?" Leon frowned.

"Yes," Cloud nodded. "I think one of is specialties might be healing. It would be explain why he hasn't woken up yet and why he's still alive at all, with a wound like that."

"Sephiroth has to know," Leon nodded. "Vincent would have told him the minute he sensed the kid."

"Maybe not," he glanced at Leon. "Break a D.I.'s spirit and you break their power as well."

"Wonderful."

* * *

Five agonizing days. That's how long Riku had waited for his Sora to wake up. He absolutely refused to leave the boy's side. He'd stopped eating and wouldn't speak to anyone, not even Cloud. Riku knew he wasn't being very fair, but he just couldn't bring himself to do anything while he knew that Sora was lying and waiting to die. So Riku just curled around him and held his friend close, wishing for a miracle.

It was a few hours later that one of the sleeping boys stirred and shifted around on the bed. Arms tightened around his waist and the teen stilled. A few minutes later, he had managed to wake himself up fully, blinking his eyes as he stared at the brown ceiling above him. The arms around his waist tightened again.

Sora ignored them and continued to stare into space, trying to get his muddled mind working again. The last thing he remembered was…Riku and…a sword? Sephiroth had been there too, along with Vincent. But what had they all been doing? He grasped fervently at his memories before it all came back to him.

"…_It's flying a pirate's flag."_

"_We'll take him."_

"_Riku!"_

"_You're his now."_

"_I'm not property."_

"_I will call you puppy from now on."_

"_The Captain can't very well continue taking care of himself when we're out to sea."_

"_Stop calling me that, my name's Sora."_

"_You will want for nothing from now on."_

"_Take these off right now; I'm not your slave!"_

"_Except freedom."_

"_Go tonight and kill him."_

"_We are pirates."_

"_Lead the way, Riku. I'll follow, promise."_

"_I want no help from some dirty pirate."_

"_Don't worry. I promise I won't loose you."_

"_RIKU!"_

"_I'll never loose you again."_

"_I'm going to take you back now, Sora."_

"_You're not his."_

"_I'll kill him."_

"_RIKU!"_

"_SORA!"_

"_Wake up! Wake up! WAKE UP!"_

Sora moaned and grabbed his head, trying to stop the thoughts pounding around in his mind. He curled around himself, holding his head and biting his lip. It took awhile, but eventually Sora's thoughts slowed and his mind calmed down. Sora let his body relax and finally noticed pain in his back. It was sharp and constant; he moaned again.

"So…ra?" A groggy voice whispered near his ear. Sora froze and noticed for the first time that someone was holding him. He looked up and saw silver, instantly pushing himself away, then hissing as the movement hurt his back.

The person moved and turned onto his back and the brunette let out a visible sigh of relief. It was Riku. Wait, Riku? When did Riku get here? And how did they end up on the same bed? And where was here?

_What is going on?_

Sora could hear shouts and footsteps from above his head and the fact that the ship tilted slightly led him to the conclusion they were on ship and out to sea. Sora decided he wanted some answers and reached over to Riku, shaking him until the older teen woke up.

When Riku blinked his eyes open, for a moment all he did was stare at Sora, as though he thought he was dreaming. Then, without warning, he sat up and crushed the brunette in a hug. Sora cried out from the pain in his back and Riku instantly changed his grip, but didn't let go. Sora sighed and hugged Riku back.

"You're all right," Riku whispered. "I was so scared you would die."

"Die?" Sora repeated.

"The wound on your back…you lost a lot of blood. Too much blood," Riku explained quietly.

"Well don't worry," Sora assured his friend. "I'm fine now. And so are you."

"Yeah…" Riku held him tighter for another minute before letting go and sitting back. "How do you feel?"

"My back's sore," Sora shrugged, sitting crossed legged on the bed. "And I'm tired, but otherwise I feel fine."

"That's good," Riku nodded. "Do you remember anything?"

"The fight," Sora mused. "I remember jumping in front of that sword."

"Yeah, don't ever do that again," Riku ordered. "I don't want you dying because of me."

"And I don't want you to die on my behalf," Sora countered, looking serious. "Next time, we fight together."

Riku looked surprised before giving a half smile. "All right, next time we fight together." They pinkied-promised, smiling at the childish gesture.

"So where are we?" Sora asked.

Riku spent about a half hour explaining where they were and who they were with. Sora fell asleep as soon as he finished and Riku decided to get some food. And maybe a bath. He hadn't bathed in awhile. The teen carefully untangled himself from Sora, making sure not to disturb him, before slipping out of the room. He made his way above deck and stretched as the noon sun shone down on his face. It felt nice to get out and stretch.

"Toruko!" A voice shouted and he turned to answer it. Yuffie was jumping down from the look out post as another crew member took her place. Riku smiled and waited for the hyper girl to land in front of him before speaking.

"Hey Yuffie," he smiled. He felt like he hadn't smiled in years.

"You're up!" She exclaimed happily. "And not acting like the world is evil and needs to be blown up!"

He laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose I haven't been very good company lately. I'm sorry."

"No problem," the girl answered. "How's Sora?"

"He woke up a little while ago," Riku answered, his smile widening. "We talked for awhile but he got tired and went back to sleep."

"That's great," Yuffie laughed. "Now the lovers can be reunited."

"Ok, stop with the lover shit," Riku snapped. "I told you before, we're friends; brothers."

She just laughed and patted his head. As soon as she touched his hair though, she withdrew her hand and made a grossed-out face.

"Uh…maybe you should go take a bath," she stuck her tongue out in disgust as she wiped her hand on her clothes. "You're pretty dirty."

Riku flushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, I was planning on it, actually. I was just going to ask if anyone minded."

"Why would we?"

"Well I was under the impression that once we hit Traverse Town, I was on my own," Riku pointed out. "And yet Cloud and Aerith show up out of nowhere and save mine and Sora's butts."

"Oh," Yuffie shrugged. "Well you'll have to ask Cloud about that, because I have no idea either. As for taking a bath," she patted his shoulder, being careful not to touch his greasy hair. "Trust me, no one will complain."

"Oh come on! I'm not _that_ dirty!" He exclaimed in defense.

Yuffie laughed at him. "I could smell you from all the way up on the look out post and, hun, you don't smell nice."

"Well just for that…" He jumped forward and grabbed the dark haired girl in a bear hug before she could get away. Yuffie screamed and kicked at him, yelling to get his "filthiness" away from her. Riku let her go with a laugh and waved goodbye, heading to the lower decks to bathe.

Once he was gone, Yuffie headed up the stairs and to the captain's office. She knocked once on the door before letting herself in, grinning happily. Cloud, Leon and Aerith were all sitting in there and talking. They looked up when Yuffie entered.

"What is it?" Leon asked.

"Thought you might want to know that Toruko's up and back to his normal self again," Yuffie reported. "If not a little happier then usual. He said that Sora had woken up too, but he's resting again. Toruko went to take a much needed bath."

Leon nodded and Aerith stood up. "If that's it then, then I'm going to go check on Sora once more. To make sure that everything's going to be all right."

"Very well, keep me informed," Leon ordered and Aerith nodded before leaving the room with a hyper Yuffie in tow.

"Well now we find out for sure," Cloud commented idly. Leon simply grunted in response.

* * *

After scrubbing himself clean, Riku headed back to his and Sora's room, feeling much better. He wasn't surprised to see Aerith there and checking over Sora. He smiled at the brunette happily.

"Hello Aerith," he greeted. The girl turned to him with a smile of her own.

"Good afternoon, Toruko," she nodded. "You're sure happy."

He shrugged. "It's a nice day."

"I'll bet."

It occurred to Riku just then that everyone was still calling him "Toruko." They had no idea his real name was Riku and that the name "Toruko" was the one he used when he was little. It was what he always called himself if **police** ever caught him for stealing. He and Sora had come to call it his "street name." Sora's was **Aoiro**. Though they hadn't used them since they settled down with the others back home.

Home. Now there was a place Riku was dying to get back to. He missed Kairi's motherly behavior, Selphie's endless cheerfulness, Wakka's silly fairy tales and even Tidus' stupid habits. It would be great to get back home to see his family again. And he would have Sora with him, just as he promised.

"What are you smiling at?" Aerith asked, now finished with her work.

"Nothing," Riku answered. "I'm just happy. Now that I have Sora back and he's going to be all right, we can finally go home. I really miss the others."

Aerith's face fell for a second before she forced a smile back on. Riku didn't notice.

"When he wakes up again, he's going to be hungry," Aerith told him. "Take him to the mess hall to get something to eat, but don't go wandering around. His body is still weak and he still needs his rest."

"Right," Riku nodded in understanding.

"And also, Leon wants to speak to you both later." She gathered up her skirts and left.

Riku climbed back into bed next to Sora and frowned. He owed Leon and Cloud a lot. They had given him passage to Traverse Town and saved his and Sora's lives from Sephiroth. He would do his best to answer all of Leon's questions as truthfully as possible, but Riku got the feeling that Sora was the one who would be lying. And not just to them.

* * *

**Police- I'm not sure, but I think police were called "police" in the 1800's. For the sake of simplicity, they will be in this story.**

**Aoiro- It's a color. It means "blue." I figured since Toruko mean turquoise, I'd name Sora blue, for his eyes.

* * *

**

**A/N: Well this was pretty much a filler chapter, I suppose. Sora woke up and Riku's not acting like the living dead anymore. Next chapter for sure will reveal the beginning of the "second" plot. First plot was Sora getting kidnapped and Riku saving him, and now the second plot will be what D.I.'s are and who is/isn't one.**

**Next chapter is important, so please don't skip it.**

**QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS! (Did you know answering reviews isn't allowed anymore? So instead of answering reviews, I shall be answering questions only. Sorry.)**

**Question: Why didn't Cloud attempt to heal Sora in the last chapter?**

**Answer: It's explained next chapter, but basically it's because the wound was too big. Cloud has a _minor_ healing ability. Only enough to fix scratches and bruises. A wound as large as Sora's wouldn't have even been phased if Cloud had tired to heal it.**

**Question: Was the "slow-motion" thing Riku does from the game?**

**Answer: No, I made that up as one of his abilities. That's all me, that has nothing to do with the game.**

**Question: Which side is Vincent on in the fic? Sora's or Sephiroth's?**

**Answer: At the moment, Sephiroth's. As of now, I don't foresee him switching loyalties either.**

**Question: Do Sora and Riku know about who/what they "really" are?**

**Answer: No. Next chapter.**

**A QUESTION FOR READERS!**

**I've been toying with the idea of bringing back Kairi, Selphie, Wakka and Tidus. I would like to know people's opinions. Do you think I should bring them back into the story, or leave them as minor characters, as they are now?**

**I guess that's all. Thanks for the reviews people, I love ya all!**

**MUCH LOVE TO RANDOMNESS!**


	12. Lies Compared to Truth

**All right! Double update! First Chaos, now this one. Now if only I could DHLL done, everything would be peachy-keen. But that chapter is only three pages so far so it's going to be awhile…(sigh)**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter Twelve: Lies Compared to Truth**

Riku and Sora slept for the rest of the day, waking up every now and then but never having the energy to get up. The next morning though, both boys woke at the same time, feeling much better. Sora was lying on his stomach (since his back hurt too much) with Riku's arm thrown across his waist. The brunette glared playfully up at his friend.

"Get your arm off me," he ordered. "I'm no pillow."

Riku snorted. "But I am? Do you know how many times you've used me as a pillow since we've met?"

"Twice," Sora answered smartly. "Both times were when we were little."

Riku tickled his sides, making Sora squeal with pained laughter. Riku stopped after a quick second, not wishing to hurt Sora's back again.

"You hungry?" Riku asked.

Sora's growling stomach answered for him. "Yup."

"Ok, you want a bath or food first?" He asked, getting out of bed and searching for the clothes Cloud had allowed them to borrow.

Sora frowned and discreetly sniffed himself. "Bath."

Riku laughed to himself, but restrained from teasing Sora. He hadn't been much better yesterday. So Riku led Sora to the lower decks to have a bath. There was an awkward moment after Riku had shown Sora where everything was and Sora had not wanted to undress in front of his friend. Riku had ended up leaving and saying he would wait for him outside the door.

After he was finished, Riku led the way to the mess hall. They passed a few people along the way who either smiled at Riku or ignored them completely. The mess hall was empty so they got to eat in silence. Sora practically choked himself eating as fast as he did and more then once Riku had to make him slow down. After that was done, Riku took him to the upper decks, where the sun was shining brightly. Sora turned his face upward, reveling in the morning warmth and smiling.

"It's nice out again," Riku grinned, watching Sora happily.

"Yeah, too bad it's not gonna last," Sora commented.

"What d'ya mean?" He looked at the sky; it was absolutely clear with no trace of clouds anywhere.

Sora pointed off to the left. "A really big storm is coming." He glanced at Riku. "I can see it."

Riku frowned and stepped forward, whispering in Sora's ear. "What did I tell you about that?"

"I can't help it," Sora whispered back. "My eyes do it on their own. It's like they _want_ me to see certain things."

"That's ridiculous, Sora," Riku shook his head. "Eyes don't have minds of their own."

Sora looked down. "I know, but sometimes it just _seems_ that way."

Riku shook his head. "Forget about it. I'm sure these guys know enough about the water to know that a storm's coming." Sora nodded and leaned his head on Riku's shoulder.

"I'm sleepy."

"Aerith said that you shouldn't move around too much until you get better," Riku informed him. "Let's go back to the room so you can lie down."

"Who's Aerith?"

"Toruko!" A voice called, followed quickly by a brown head. Sora blinked and raised an eyebrow at Riku, mouthing "Toruko?" questioningly. Riku shrugged in response.

Aerith, Yuffie and Cid walked up to them and Sora stared the strange bunch over curiously. They looked back at him, just as curious.

"Sora," Riku began. "This is Aerith, Yuffie and Cid. Guys, this is Sora."

Sora nodded his head politely. "Hello, it's nice to meet you."

"Oh my gosh!" Yuffie squealed. "Except for that boyish hair you could totally pass as a girl! How cute!"

Sora blinked just as she moved and grabbed him into a hug. His blue eyes widened and Sora moved on instinct. He grabbed the girl's side and pinched, making her loosen her grip on him. Sora then grabbed her arm and lifted her into the air, tossing her over his shoulder to land flat on her back on the deck. He instantly let go of her and jumped to hide behind Riku, who was looking at him oddly.

"Ouch." Yuffie grumbled from the ground. She flipped herself up onto her feet and glared at the hiding Sora, who was trying to rub his stinging back. "What was that for?"

"Please do not touch me," Sora whispered from behind Riku. His friend frowned and turned slightly, wrapping his arm around Sora's shoulders. He was surprised that the brunette was shaking slightly.

"Hey, it's fine," he assured him. "Yuffie's just energetic. You're ok."

The three pirates shared sad looks. If there was any doubt about what Sephiroth might have done to the boy before, it was gone now.

"You two need to go talk to Cloud and Leon," Cid told them. "They said as soon as you were up and about to send ya to them."

"Ok," Riku nodded. "Come on, Sora."

He led him to the upper decks and knocked on the door to the cabin. Sora had calmed down but was still standing pretty close to Riku. Riku figured it was just because he wasn't used to the pirates.

"So am I calling you Toruko or Riku?" Sora asked, trying to sound teasing.

"Whichever," Riku shrugged. "I suppose I should tell them my real name now. They've saved both our lives."

Sora nodded, smiling slightly. A voice called for the two to come in and they entered the semi-spacious office. Leon sat behind a small desk that was clean of items and Cloud leaned against the wall behind him, watching as the two boys took seats.

"So you two are finally up," Leon commented. "I don't like small talk, so straight to the point. You owe us for saving your lives."

Sora and Riku nodded, having already worked that out between themselves.

"What do you want?" Riku asked. "There's not a lot we can do to pay you back."

"That is why we wanted to speak in private, Toruko," Cloud spoke up from his position against the wall.

Sora smiled a little at the name, finding it amusing. Usually only people they didn't like or feared ever referred to Riku with his street name. It was odd hearing it from someone who was supposed to be a friend.

"Oh, I probably should have mentioned," Riku interrupted. "My real name is Riku. Toruko is a street name; I only use it when I don't trust someone." The pirates raised simultaneous eyebrows at him, making Sora giggle quietly. "Well I didn't trust Cid when I met him, or you guys! You tried to kill me, remember?"

"What?" Sora demanded, snapping his head to face his friend.

Riku blinked at him. "Never mind, I'll tell you later."

"Just to make sure then, you're name is Sora, correct?" Leon frowned. He obviously didn't like being lied to.

"Yes," Sora nodded. "My street name's Aoiro."

"Fine. Any more random secrets you wish to tell?"

Both teens shook their head no.

"Then to the point," Leon leaned back in his chair, studying the two as he spoke. "I have something in mind for you to repay your debts, but before I get to that I need to know if either of you have ever heard of a place called Destiny Islands."

Riku shrugged but Sora looked thoughtful. "I think, once before. It was when I went with Wakka to the tavern, where he always gets his stories from."

"Wakka?" Cloud repeated.

"Oh, he's our friend. We live with him back home, in the Navy run lands."

"We know where you come from, continue," Leon ordered.

"Ok, well, some sailors were talking. They had found a crazed man shipwrecked out at sea. Apparently his ship sunk and he was the only survivor. The sailors said that the man kept ranting on about an "angle's paradise that was a devil's creation." Or something like that, anyway."

"Oh yeah," Riku nodded. "I remember Wakka telling stories about the Destiny Islands and its people when we were younger, but he stopped telling them as we got older and didn't buy into the fairytale stuff anymore."

"What stories did he tell you?" Cloud asked, curious.

"Lot's of things. A lot of them he made up," Sora replied. "But they were all based on what he heard."

"The people who lived there were said to posses strange powers of some sort and were all extremely beautiful. They're mainly a peaceful people and the islands they lived on were the most beautiful in the world."

"Like a paradise," Sora offered.

"Yeah, and it was also said to be rich with treasure," Riku went on. "Sailors and pirates tried for years to find the islands but never succeed and most died on the journey. It's said that even though the islanders were usually peaceful, they were also wicked fighters. They destroyed anyone that came to their islands unwanted."

"They were really secretive and valued their privacy, not wanting contact with anyone who wasn't an islander, like them," Sora finished.

"That's mostly true," Cloud confirmed. "Until more recent years."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked. "Did some continue the story? I'm surprised Wakka never found out the new stuff."

"It's not a story," Leon stated. "The Destiny Islands are a real place with real people."

"Right," Riku nodded. "And I'm king of the world." Sora smiled at him.

"Well then your majesty," Leon said sarcastically. "Pay attention, I will not repeat myself." He waited until both were listening before starting to speak.

"The Destiny Islands, as you've just said, is as close to a paradise as you can get. The islands are peaceful, but very secretive and do not like outsiders. But despite their privacy issues, they wanted to learn more about the world they had isolated themselves from; basically, us.

"So a delegation was sent from the islands to the Royal Navy lands where they were to meet the King of the Navy and share culture or whatever. It was then that people finally realized the Destiny Islands were not a fairytale and an actual place. But because the delegations were kept secret, it is not common knowledge."

"So then how do you know?" Sora piped up.

"I will tell you that later," Leon replied. "Unfortunately, a strong group of pirates found out about the delegations and attacked the ship the islanders were on, hoping that the rumors were true about them being rich with gold. Everyone was killed and the people of Destiny Islands were devastated. Apparently one family on the ship had been the royal family and another had been the ones to rule if the royal family ever died. So in one attack they lost both their ruling families and the family heirs.

"Despite efforts on the King's part, the Destiny Islanders refused to return. They turned their backs on the "outside" world and sealed themselves off again. No one has ever seen an islander, who are usually called a D.I.s, since then."

"Ok…" Riku drawled. "As nice of story as that was, what does it have to do with the debt we owe you?"

"Over the years there have been very few people that have left the Destiny Islands, but some have," Leon explained. "You can tell who these people are because they posses unnatural abilities or talents. As of now, there were only three D.I.'s that we know of, but just recently two more have been found, making a total of five."

Riku raised an eyebrow, obviously not believing anything Leon was saying. Sora though, got exactly what Leon was implying and spoke up, surprising everyone.

"You think me and Riku are D.I.s," he guessed.

Leon studied him for a moment before nodding a yes.

"What? That's ridiculous," Riku snapped.

"Why is that, Riku?" Cloud asked, straightening up.

"Because for one, the Destiny Islands don't exist," Riku frowned. "I don't care what you guys say. And for two, even if they did, me and Sora ain't no "D.I.s." We're orphans from the Navy Lands."

"Even orphans have to come from somewhere," Cloud pointed out. "And even though you've traveled all over the royal lands, you've never found anyone like either of you."

"What's your point?" Riku growled, standing up and glaring at the blonde.

"How can you be so positive of where you come from when you don't even know the truth yourself?"

Everything seemed to slowdown as Riku lunged at Cloud over Leon's small desk. Cloud saw the punch coming and effortlessly dodged to the side. Before Riku could attack him again, Leon was standing and holding a large blade shaped like a gun at his throat.

"You will get the temper under control, _Riku_," Leon ordered.

The silver haired teen growled at him and slapped the weapon away carelessly. He glared hard at them both and stalked out of the office, slamming the door hard enough to make the walls shake. Sora blinked after him and stood, turning back to the pirates.

"The fact that we don't know where we come from has always been a sore spot for Riku," Sora explained quietly. "He hates being reminded of it and gets upset when people use it against him like that."

"We only want you two to understand what you are and where you come from," Cloud told him as Leon put his weapon away.

Sora shook his head. "The Destiny Islands is nothing but a place in fairytales. A child's fantasy. They don't exist and we're certainly not from them. Leave Riku alone for awhile, he's not very nice when he's upset." Sora bowed slightly to them before leaving the office as well, though not as violently as Riku had.

When he was gone, there was a loud _smack_ and the sound of breaking wood. Leon glanced calmly over to Cloud, ignoring the small break in the wood wall he had just created.

"My own people don't even believe their home is real," he muttered, barely audible. "I never should have left."

Leon didn't answer.

* * *

Sora didn't have to go far before finding Riku. He was on the top decks; leaning against the railing with the three pirates Sora had met earlier huddled around him. Sora sighed, knowing that Riku was going to snap at them real soon if they didn't shut up and leave him be. He decided to interfere before that happened.

Sora walked calmly down to his friend and gave a shy smile to the pirates. He reached out and poked Riku on the arm, continuing to do so until the older boy looked at him.

"What, Sora?" Riku grumbled.

"You know, Kairi would be lecturing you like crazy for that right now," Sora pointed out matter-of-factly. "And Wakka would be shaking his head disapprovingly, Tidus would laughing like crazy…"

"And Selphie would be begging to get ice cream," Riku finished. "I know, Sora."

Sora smiled at him. "Well I'm not Kairi, so I won't lecture you. But Riku," he touched Riku's face, making him look right at him. "You need to apologize. That was uncalled for and even if they are insane, you shouldn't have tried to attack Cloud. It was rude."

"You attacked Cloud? Again!" Yuffie exclaimed. "Wait, who's Riku?"

"I am, it's my real name," Riku said dismissively. Sora pouted up at him and Riku felt his resolve melting away. "Fine." If Sora wanted him to apologize then he would. He supposed he _had_ gone a little far. "Let's get something to eat first."

Sora grinned at him. "Ok."

Aerith and Cid joined them for the early lunch but Yuffie refused to speak to "Riku" and stomped off to mope by herself. Sora thought it was cute and whispered to Riku that Yuffie probably had a crush on him. The silver haired teen had choked on nothing and spluttered at him, making Sora laugh.

In the mess hall, Sora sat next to Riku, across from Aerith who was next to Cid. Riku was glaring every so often in the old man's direction and Cid was returning the glare full force. Sora finally got annoyed and smacked his best friend upside the head.

"Stop it," he ordered. "Everything turned out fine in the end."

Riku blinked at him in surprise but did stop glaring at Cid and instead glared at the table (anyone who knew Riku could tell he was actually pouting). Aerith barely managed to contain her squeal at how _adorable_ the two were together. She loved it!

A few minutes into the meal, Yuffie popped in and told Aerith and Cid they needed help with some things on the top deck and the two left with her. When they were gone, Riku noticed Sora relax a tiny bit. It made him frown; he hadn't even realized the boy was tense until he relaxed. Not to mention that Sora was quiet; he was usually talking up a storm by now, asking way too many questions and getting annoying. And that incident with Yuffie earlier…something was up.

But before he could call Sora on it, the brunette spoke up.

"I think it would be neat," he said.

Riku took a bite of food. "What would?"

"Coming from an imaginary island," Sora replied. "It would certainly explain why we've never found anything out about our selves."

"Sora…"

"I know, I know," Sora waved his hand dismissively. "I just thought it would be cool. And can you imagine the guy's faces if we showed up and told them?"

Riku's lips twitched at the thought. "Tidus would gape at us like a dying fish."

"And Selphie would think it's romantic," Sora giggled.

"Kairi would glare and tell us to get back to work," Riku added, a small smile on his face.

"And Wakka would be demanding stories so that he could tell them later," Sora finished. "I miss them."

"So do I," Riku admitted. "Don't worry, Sora. We'll find a way home soon."

The brunette's happy face disappeared and Sora looked sadly at Riku. "Even if we do," he whispered. "We can't stay."

"Why not? It's our home," Riku frowned.

"Because Seph-iroth," Sora muttered, choking on the pirate's name. "He'd follow us and hurt the others."

"We'll protect them," Riku countered.

"The entire village?" Sora demanded. "He'd follow us home and attack everyone. You know it."

"Well what are we supposed to do, Sora?" Riku snapped. "We have nowhere else to go! As Cloud so _kindly_ pointed out, we're orphans with no home and no origins."

"I know…" Sora whispered, tears gathering in his eyes.

"Not to mention I _promised_," Riku went on. "I promised the guys I'd find you and bring you back, safe and sound."

"But Riku, they could _die_," Sora pleaded.

"We can't live in constant fear of that asshole! If we want out lives back, we have to fight for it!"

"Fighting him does no good. He takes what he wants anyway."

Riku started at the empty voice that Sora spoke in. When he glanced at his friend, he was scared to see the normally shining blue eyes dull and haunted. He reached out a hand and touched Sora's cheek. The brunette flinched violently and turned away.

"Sora?" Riku called gently.

Sora took a deep breath and managed to get control of himself. He forced a smile and turned back to Riku.

"I'm ok," he assured him. Riku didn't buy it. "If you want to go home, then it's ok with me."

"You make it sound like I'm forcing you," Riku said carefully.

"No!" Sora exclaimed. "I want to see the others too! I'm just worried about them."

"Like I said," Riku nodded. "We'll protect them. And I'll protect you, too." Sora blinked then nodded, his smile becoming a real one.

"Ok," the brunette agreed. "Let's go home, Riku."

* * *

After their meal, Sora went back to their room to take a nap; his body still wasn't strong enough to handle walking around all day. Once he was asleep, Riku went looking for Leon and Cloud, deciding to keep his promise and apologize to the two. He would then try and find a way to get them to take him and Sora back to their home, or at least to the Navy lands where they could get home themselves.

_But I can never do any of that if I don't find the idiots!_ Riku fumed in his head. He had looked everywhere and not found a single trace of Leon or Cloud. Aerith walked by and Riku called out to her.

"Hey! You know where Cloud or Leon are?" He asked.

"What do you want?"

Riku nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around to see Leon standing _right behind him_. He had not been there two seconds ago.

"To apologize," Riku answered after a brief pause. "For attacking Cloud."

Leon raised an eyebrow. "So tell Cloud."

Riku scowled at him. "I would if I could _find_ him."

"He's busy right now," Leon shrugged, walking past Riku. "You'll have to wait 'till later." He entered his office and shut the door. Riku grabbed his hair in frustration.

"Don't worry about it," Aerith patted his shoulder. "Leon just doesn't talk much."

"Ya think?" Riku snapped. "I'm going for a swim."

* * *

When Sora woke, his mind was perfectly clear. The usual sleepy haze he spent most mornings in was gone and his thoughts were sharp. His blue eyes snapped open and he shot up, making direct eye contact with Cloud, who was standing at the foot of his bed.

"What?" Sora demanded, unusually harsh.

Cloud stared at him for a moment before gesturing to the bed. "May I sit?"

"No." Sora's body was starting to tremble, but he did his best to hide it. He was not comfortable with a pirate alone in the same room as him.

The blonde said nothing and instead sat on the other bed across from him. Sora was surprised when he pulled his legs up and sat Indian style. It was not a sitting position Sora would have expected from the other man.

"What do you want?" Sora asked, after a long silence.

"…To…talk." He sounded hesitant, Sora noted. As if this was the last thing he wanted to do right now, or ever, really.

"'Bout what?" Sora pressed. "'Cause if it's about the whole Destiny Islands thing, Riku made our thoughts on the matter pretty clear, I think."

He smirked slightly and it struck Sora as bitter. "I still haven't given up on that. But that's not what I wanted to speak of."

"Then what?"

"Sephiroth."

Sora's body stiffened completely. Sephiroth was the _last_ thing he wanted to speak of. Ever.

"What about him?" He ground out. Sora's eyes flashed in warning, but Cloud did not heed it.

Instead he leaned back, resting against the wall and unfolding a leg. "What he did to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know exactly what it means," his dark blue eyes pinned him. "Almost as well as I."

"I'm not a mind reader," Sora snapped. "I don't know what you're thinking."

"Sephiroth once had a lover," Cloud spoke, ignoring how Sora flinched at the pirate's name. "A lover who he betrayed –though he did not see it as a betrayal– and returned the favor in kind."

Sora didn't answer; he didn't care. He had always assumed that the captain's past lover Vincent always spoke of was dead.

"His lover…" Cloud hesitated again before plowing on. "His lover had once been his slave."

Sora's head shot up and he stared right at Cloud. His _slave_? But how could a slave become a lover? Sora sure as hell would _never_ love Sephiroth, not after what he did to him. Though if he was being honest with himself, there was a point when he thought he had feelings for the pirate. Even though he had kidnapped him, it had been Sephiroth who took not only his first kiss, but his first sexual experience. If it hadn't been for the fact that Sephiroth saw him as nothing more then an object and had raped him, Sora probably would have fallen in love with the man too.

"How do you know?" Sora asked.

"Because I used to serve with Sephiroth." Sora sucked in a breath. "Before I left him and joined Leon here."

So then he knew. Sora couldn't lie or bluff his way out of this one. He had planned on never telling anyone about what had _really_ happened on that ship. He knew he would have to tell some of the truth, but not all of it. He had never planned to tell anyone about the rape.

But if Cloud had really served with Sephiroth and had even known the man's previous lover, then there would be no hiding the truth from him. He most likely knew it already.

"Why are you telling me all this?" Sora demanded, on the defensive.

"So that you don't run away," Cloud shrugged. "You can't bury your memories, they'll just come back to haunt you. You have to face them."

Sora spat at him, hating that idea. "I have to do nothing," he snarled. "Me and Riku are going home and everything will go back to the way it was before all this happened."

Cloud snorted in disdain. "You're a fool if believe that."

Sora flushed. "Yeah? And you should leave." He stared hard at the blond, who stared right back. "So leave."

Cloud sighed and stood up. "You'll have to think about it sooner or later, Riku's already getting suspicious. You can tell when he watches you. You can't touch people and freak out when they touch you. And from what Riku told us, you're nowhere near as loud or happy as he described."

He walked out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him. Once he was gone, Sora stopped glaring and flopped down on his bed. He regretted it instantly though as his back flared with pain, making him flinch. Turning onto his tummy, Sora buried his face into his pillow and didn't leave the room for the rest of the day.

* * *

**Ha, want to here something funny? My friend knows Japanese and she told me that Riku's and Sora's nicknames (Toruko and Aoiro) Riku's name is feminine and Sora's name is masculine. How funny is that? I gave Riku the "girly" name and Sora the "boyish" name. Somehow…I just can't picture Riku being the girl. Haha.

* * *

**

**A/N: I can't believe I'm already to chapter 12; I haven't even gotten started yet. I'm just now introducing the main plot. Ah well. As for this chapter, my computer turned "Riku" into "Sora." I'm just glad I caught it before I posted the chapter. I hate it when my computer does that.**

**As is my new habit: QUESTIONS and ANSWERS.**

**Question: Will there be any other pairing in this fic?**

**Answer: No major ones are planned, but most likely side pairings will pop up. For now there is only Riku/Sora, Leon/Cloud and past mentions of Sephiroth/Cloud. There won't be anymore Sora/Sephiroth.**

**Question: Who else is D.I.?**

**Answer: Now that kind of stuff has gotta be kept secret. Terribly sorry.**

**Question: What does D.I. mean?**

**Answer: It means Destiny Islands. When someone is called a "D.I." they are being called a native of Destiny Islands, another words, that's where they came from.**

**Question: It was said in a past chapter that Sephiroth's last slave died. So then how could have been his slave if he died?**

**Answer: Ah, now there's a question for ya. I don't think I want to answer it yet. And who said that Cloud was Sephiroth's slave? I said in this chapter that he served with him, not slept with him.**

**All for now. Thanks to everyone who answered my questions about bringing the characters back, I've decided that they'll stay minor characters, but the will get some screen time. Just not a lot. You'll understand when I get there.**

**Any questions then PLEASE ask them. I can't answer unless you ask and I want to make sure that I explain things satisfactorly.**

**Much love to the randomness!**


	13. Don't Tell Me A Secret

**There is a lot of running away from problems in this chapter.**

**Chapter Thirteen: Don't Tell Me A Secret**

It was a couple days later that Riku and Sora finally managed to ask Leon about them going home. Riku had apologized to Cloud and Sora had avoided the blonde as best he could on such a small ship. If he ever did have to be near him, he made sure Riku or someone else was always around. Sora got the distinct feeling Cloud knew exactly what he was doing and was allowing him to get away with it but wouldn't continue to do so for long.

He was now just as anxious to get home as Riku.

"Don't you ever make yourself available to talk?" Riku demanded, after finally cornering Leon who was coming out of his office type space. The pirate captain raised an eyebrow at him. "We want to go home. Are you going to take us there or drop us off at the next port?"

"You still owe us a debt," Leon pointed out in his solemn voice. Cloud walked up the small stairs and joined the group.

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "And if you would pick a payment, we would gladly pay it off."

"We have already told you how to repay us," Cloud stated.

"And we have already told you our opinion on that," Sora replied, also joining the little group. Ever since their talk he had been much snippier with Cloud then he would normally be with someone, especially someone who had saved his life.

"We will take you back to your home," Leon informed. "We have business there, anyways. But we will not stay long. Sephiroth is sure to pursue us."

The teens rolled their eyes but restrained from commenting. "Thank you," Riku nodded with a little bow. "When you think of a way for us to repay you, let us know." He grabbed Sora's hand and the two disappeared below decks.

"Do you really think that any of the other children they always speak of are D.I.s as well?" Leon asked Cloud quietly.

"No," Cloud shook his head. "D.I.s, by nature, stick together. If there were any other D.Is they would have come with Riku to find Sora. My people are extremely loyal, perhaps to a fault, sometimes."

"Then why bother checking them out at all?" Leon inquired.

Cloud shrugged. "It's possible I'm wrong. And like you said, we have business in the Navy Lands anyways. It will not be an inconvenience."

* * *

"Sephiroth is sure to pursue us," Riku mocked Leon's cold voice as he sat on the bed next to Sora. Sora giggled at him and smiled.

"He's right though, he will follow us." The brunette lay down on his side, grabbing at the blanket.

"Yeah," Riku moved off the blanket and lay next to Sora. "How's your back?"

"Better," Sora smiled. "It'll be healed by the time we get home."

Riku shook his head. "Sora, the wonder-boy. Can see things at a great distant and heals abnormally fast."

"Riku, the cocky-one. Can run really fast and jump abnormally high."

Riku looked indignant. "Cocky? I'm not cocky. I'm…"

"Overly-confident," Sora interrupted, laughing.

Riku mock glared at him before he pounced on the younger boy and started tickling him. Sora twisted around, trying to get away while laughing. He scooted backwards and Riku followed him, never letting up the playful attack. Sora jerked hard to get away…and fell off the bed. Riku knew his friend's back would get seriously hurt if he fell onto the floor, so the teen grabbed his shoulders and barely managed to flip Sora over him. Riku landed on the ground with a hard thud and Sora gasped as he landed on top of him.

"Are you ok?" They both asked at the same time. Riku and Sora smiled at each other and Sora lay his head down on his friend's chest. Half their bodies were still on the bed while the rest of them were tangled in the blankets on the floor.

"Thanks Riku," Sora whispered after a brief silence.

"Sure, I didn't want you hurting your back," Riku shrugged in response.

"No," Sora interrupted. "I mean…thanks for everything."

Riku just smiled and wrapped his arms around the boy, hugging him close. "Anything for you, Sora."

* * *

Almost a week later, they entered Navy owned waters. Sora was running around like an excited puppy chasing its tail. He kept dashing from one end of the ship to the other, constantly demanding if they were there yet. Sora's back was nearly completely healed; the only thing left to show that he had been hurt at all was a faint scar that would fade away soon.

Sora stood at the far end of the ship on the railing, looking out across the water. He was smiling widely and had his eyes opened as wide as possible, not wanting to miss a thing. _I want to see my home again,_ he thought to himself. There was a sharp pressure behind his eyes and everything seemed to rush at his face.

"Riku!" Sora shouted, jumping from the railing and dashing to the **helm** where Riku, Leon and Cloud were all standing. The brunette pounced on his friend, laughing and smiling.

"Geh, Sora!" Riku grunted, just barely managing to catch him. "You need to diet."

"No I don't," Sora dismissed casually. "Riku! I can see our home! We're almost there! We're almost there!"

He jumped around before running off again and Riku vaguely wondered who the hell had given him sugar. They had all learned long ago not to give Sora or Selphie sugar. Riku sighed and started after his hyper friend, completely ignoring the looks Leon and Cloud were giving him. As he reached Sora, the look out shouted "land ho" and their home came slowly into view.

Riku poked his friend's head, making Sora stop bouncing around and look at him. "Go get a shirt on," he ordered. "Kairi will kill you if she sees you like that." Sora had taken his shirt off because it was such a hot day. He nodded and dashed off to do as he was told.

As Sora entered his and Riku's room he flinched slightly at the mess. The may not have had any possessions, but the room was still pretty much destroyed. Sora made a mental note to try and find some time later to clean. Right now though, he wanted to find a shirt and get back on deck. He reached under the bed and grabbed a small pack of Riku's clothes. Sora pulled out one of Riku's shirts and suddenly stopped, his happy smile slipping slowly away.

The shirt was an ordinary shirt; one that you'd expect Riku to wear. It was muscle tight with no sleeves and yellow in coloring with a large "X" painted across the chest. It was just an ordinary shirt.

That everyone had chipped in and bought Riku for his fourteenth birthday.

Sora sat down heavily, staring at the shirt without really seeing it. His eyes were widened and his body was starting to tremble. The door opened but Sora didn't notice it until the person was sitting next to his head on the bed. Cloud reached out and touched Sora's hair, making the boy jerk away and turn angry eyes to him.

"You're worried about what your family will think of you?" Cloud asked, though it was more of a statement.

"My family loves me," Sora snapped. "And that's never going to change."

"Then why don't you tell them?" Cloud countered calmly. "Why haven't you told Riku that you were Sephiroth's slave?"

"Because he already knows."

"Why don't you tell him you were his sex slave?"

Sora flinched at the harsh –but true– wording. The brunette looked away, clenching the shirt in his hand and swallowing hard.

"There's nothing he can do about it," Sora whispered. "It's done and can't be changed. There's no sense in making him upset."

"What about you, Sora?" Cloud asked, leaning forward and staring at the boy intensely. "You want to spare his feelings, but it will just be worse when he finds out on his own."

Sora's head snapped towards the blonde, eyes wide.

"If you do not tell him soon," Cloud stated clearly. "I will tell him for you."

"You can't!" The boy exclaimed.

"I can and I will," Cloud answered firmly. "There are some people who can handle this stuff on their own, but the majority of people need help. You are part of the majority, Sora. That's obvious with how damn clingy you are to people. You can't survive alone and if you don't get help through this you'll end up killing yourself or going insane." He raised an eyebrow. "How will Riku feel then?"

Sora didn't answer as he fled from the room.

* * *

"I'm not seeing this, ya," Wakka breathed, staring at the ship that had just docked in sheer wonder. Next to him, Tidus was standing, openly gaping, as were most of the dock hands.

There, standing on the ship, leaning over the railing and waving and smiling like a crazed idiot, was Sora. Next to him stood a smirking Riku, who was laughing at everyone's expressions. Riku placed his arms on the railing and called down to the dock hands.

"Hey guys," he smirked. "Aren't you supposed to be doing your jobs instead of gawking like dead fish? Come on! The sooner you finish, the sooner we can get off!"

This snapped people out of their surprised daze and everyone was soon hurrying to get the ship tied off to the dock and anchored down. Wakka grabbed Tidus' arm and ordered him to get the girls as fast as he could and the blonde dashed away at a speed that made Riku proud. As soon as the walking plank was lowered, the dock mater rushed up it, staring at Riku and Sora in amazement.

"We'd given your sorry asses up for dead long ago," he told them.

"Gee thanks," Sora muttered sarcastically.

He grabbed Riku's shoulder tightly and looked at him with a fond expression. "My two best workers are back." He made a fist and looked up at the sky. "Thank you."

"Oh shove off," Riku rolled his eyes and pushed the man out of his way. "Why don't you stop gawking at us and go make nice with the captain of the ship."

The dock master's eyes lit up and you could practically see the money signs appear in his eyes as he hurried to find the captain and do business. While that happened, Riku stepped to the docks with Sora right behind him. Wakka was smiling and pulled the older teen into a rough hug.

"Ya did it, man," he spoke fondly and then turned to Sora.

Sora smiled at him. "Hi Wakka, long time no see."

Wakka took a step forward and grabbed Sora into a tight hug. Sora froze for a long moment before he finally managed to force himself to relax. This was Wakka, a boy he'd known almost all his life. He was not going to hurt him.

"Welcome home, ya," Wakka greeted, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. "We were starting to loose hope that we'd see you again."

Sora, who would have at one time returned the hug with much vigor, awkwardly patted Wakka on the back before pulling away. He put on his brightest smile. "Hey, I'm back now, aren't I? You should have never doubted wonder-boy and cocky-one."

A loud shout interrupted them as Tidus, Selphie and Kairi came flying towards them as fast as they could possibly go. Riku laughed and called out to them happily. Sora smiled but mentally braced himself for the touches he was sure were about to come. And, sure enough, as soon as they got close enough, the three had enveloped Sora in a huge group hug.

Sora tried to act as natural as possible by focusing on the fact that he was finally home and with his family again. He tried to ignore the memories of strong, callused hands on his skin; hot, hard lips roaming everywhere. He tried not to freak out at how easy it was to remember Sephiroth's touch.

Riku sensed his discomfort (even though he didn't understand it) and decided to save Sora from the onslaught of happy bear hugs.

"Come on guys, lighten up," he ordered happily. "Sora's back got hurt during a fight and he really doesn't need to be constantly pounced on like that." Everyone instantly let go, as if he had the plague.

"Sora!" Kairi exclaimed. "Why didn't you say so? Did we hurt you? We're sorry, we're just so happy you're back."

Sora smiled at her. He was able to think more clearly without everyone smothering him. "I'm fine, Kai," he assured her. "I'm just as glad to be back too. Trust me."

"Let's go home!" Selphie suggested cheerfully. "We'll celebrate Sora and Riku coming back with a huge dinner!"

"Yes! That is an awesome idea! Let's do that! Let's do that! Please! Please, Kairi, please Riku? Pleeeeaaaasssseeee!" Sora was suddenly bouncing and running around like six year old who just found out that everyday was going to be Christmas.

"All right," Kairi demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "Who the hell gave him sugar? Everyone knows not to give Sora or Selphie sugar."

"Maybe," a voice called. "But I wanted to see what would happen." Yuffie jumped down from the ship to the docks were everyone was standing. Cid and Aerith followed after her down, but used the plank. "So these are the famous Kairi, Wakka, Tidus and Selphie. Toruko and Aoiro are always talking about you."

Ever since she had found out Riku had been lying about what his name really was, Yuffie had sat around pouting. She only stopped pouting after Riku had apologized numerous times. After that, Yuffie had started calling the two by their street names as a joke.

The other kids glanced at Riku and Sora questioningly.

Riku rolled his eyes. "She likes our street names better then our real ones."

"Guys, this is Yuffie, Cid and Aerith." Sora introduced. "Other guys, this is Kairi, Wakka, Selphie and Tidus."

"Nice to meet ya all," Yuffie grinned. "Wish we could chat but Leon has us running errands."

"How long are you guys going to stay here?" Sora asked. "Leon said that you had business to take care of and then you would leave."

"Yup," Aerith confirmed. "I guess we'll leave as soon as we get supplies and let the crew have a small rest. It wouldn't be smart to stay in one place too long with Sephiroth chasing after us."

"Sephiroth?" Tidus interrupted. "That bastard is coming here?"

"He is chasing after what he considers his," Cloud answered, joining the group of chatting teens and Cid. "Or, in this case, who."

"Guys, meet Cloud," Riku introduced. "Second in command and quite possibly a bigger drama queen then Selphie."

"Hey!" Selphie exclaimed.

"Let's go home," Riku suggested, ignoring the pirates. "I've missed our little rat hole."

"Would you care to join us, Mr. Cloud?" Kairi asked pleasantly. "We would love to meet some of the people who helped Riku and Sora. The least we can do is offer you a meal for all your help."

Riku was waving violently "no" behind the blonde, bouncing around and shaking his head. Cloud smirked.

"I would love to," he agreed. "Just to get back at Riku." Apparently it had been obvious what Riku was doing as the blonde knew it without turning to look at him. Sora was not happy with this turn of events either but didn't do anything to draw attention to himself.

"Great," Riku deadpanned, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Let's go."

* * *

Kairi out did herself in making dinner for everyone. Even though they had had two less people to feed in the past few weeks, the kids still didn't have much money. But they still went out all out. Kairi and Selphie made potatoes with chicken (given to them by a neighbor who was glad to see Riku and Sora home again) and beans on the side. When Cloud was given his small amount of food (they had to split it between seven people) he privately thought that if this was the best the kids had to offer they were poorer then they looked.

As they ate the kids bombarded Cloud, Riku and Sora with questions. Sora was happy to talk about the new places they had seen and Riku told them all about the fights they had gotten into. Cloud stayed quiet most to the time, taking notice to how Sora always changed the subject or let Riku talk whenever Sephiroth was brought up. The brunette also didn't bother to correct anyone when they assumed what type of slave Sora had been.

As the sun started setting, Cloud decided it was time for him to head back to his ship. He had seen enough to know that Sora and Riku were the only D.I.s amongst the group of orphans. He should get back and see if Leon managed to find what he had been looking for and figure out what they were going to do about the wayward boys. But first, he needed to speak with Sora before leaving.

It was surprisingly easy to get the brunette alone. Sora wasn't having an easy time dealing with the other teens and their constant touches, no matter how many times he assured himself that they were his friends and wouldn't hurt him. When Cloud beckoned him away, Sora went without really thinking. He needed a break from everyone.

"What did you want?" Sora asked when they were out of earshot. The kids had started a bonfire and were carelessly dancing around it, laughing loudly.

The glow from the flames touched only half of Cloud's face, giving him a ghostly appearance. "For you to tell the truth. This is your last chance Sora, or I will tell them myself."

"No!" Sora exclaimed quickly, too quickly. "Please don't…they'd…they wouldn't know how to act or what to say or do. They wouldn't _get_ it."

"And you do?" Cloud countered, stepping forward. "You know how to deal with being raped and manipulated all on your own?"

Sora gulped and stepped back, not answering.

"Tell Riku at least," Cloud ordered. "Don't tell anyone else if you don't want to, but at least let Riku know. It wouldn't be fair to keep it secret from him."

Sora closed his eyes and hung his head. After a long moment he finally nodded.

"All right," he agreed. "I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Tonight."

Sora glared at the ground. "Tonight."

* * *

The orphans stayed up until very late that night, celebrating their friend's safe return. When they finally went to bed, Sora joined Riku in their room and crawled into the hard mattress he had used for years now. Riku threw his shirt to the ground and climbed into his bed as well, snuffing out the candle that had been lighting the room.

Sora lay awake, thinking about how he was going to tell Riku about what Sephiroth had done to him. It would be so much easier if he could just keep it a secret, but Cloud was determined not to let that happen. He seemed to really think that telling someone would help.

But Sora didn't _want_ to tell anyone, not even Riku. It was just…it was personal and…well, _embarrassing_. How did you tell your family you had been raped and not only that, but for awhile had been a willing participant? Something Sephiroth had once said floated into Sora's mind and stuck there as he thought.

_You can not rape the willing._

Sora choked on a sob; just thinking about this brought all the memories back. The touches, the kisses, he could still hear his own cries in his head.

_Oh dear lord, what have I done?_

Sora's body shook as emotions that he had been suppressing flowed to the front of his mind. He wrapped his arms around himself and cried, alone in the darkness.

* * *

Riku woke up slowly, hearing muffled sounds around him. He could tell from the color of the sky that it was almost dawn. He had slept well after their celebrating and wanted nothing more but to continue that blissful sleep. However, the muffled noise from near him kept him from falling asleep again and Riku sat up to find the disturbance. He glanced around in the dark and saw Sora shaking on his bed.

Frowning, Riku got up and went to the other boy. Sora was sleeping, his face twisted in a pained expression as he tossed and turned. Riku shook him gently, figuring he would wake him up from whatever nightmare he was having.

"Un…Sephiroth…" Sora's voice floated up, sounding strained. Riku froze in his movements, not believing what he was hearing. Sora…was _dreaming_ of…_Sephiroth_? "Stop…no." The tossing became more violent and Riku noticed that tears were flowing from his closed eyes. "Stop…please don't…touch me…please." Sora sobbed in his sleep and turned over.

Riku backed away from his best friend, from the boy he was developing a crush on. He stared, wide eyed, as Sora started crying before waking and abruptly sitting up in bed. He was panting and covered in sweat and even in the darkness Riku could see the fear in his eyes as he searched the room for traces of his nightmare.

Wide blue eyes clashed with aqua and became wider. Riku swallowed hard, trying to find his voice. Oh sure, he had noticed Sora's odd behavior ever since he had saved him from Sephiroth; but Sora had always been odd, that was just his personality. So he hadn't let anyone near him or touch him; that could have just because they were pirates as well, no matter how nice they acted. And being withdrawn, more quiet then usual; that could have been because of being taken as slave and being in a new place with strange people.

It could have been anything…really. It didn't have to be _that_. It didn't…

But as Riku stared into his best friend's horrified eyes, his pained voice running through his head, Riku knew he was just lying to himself. He had suspected what really happened to Sora but hadn't let himself believe it. He hadn't known how to deal with it and ran away like a coward; he hadn't been there for Sora when the boy truly needed him.

Some friend he was.

"Riku…?" Sora's voice shook with tears and Riku looked away.

_And I'm going to do it again. How can I face him? How can I face Sora when it was my fault this happened? I didn't get there fast enough and then I ignored his pain when I got him back. What the hell was –am– I thinking?_

Knowing that he was being incredibly selfish, Riku turned and ran from the room.

* * *

**Helm: where you steer the ship.

* * *

**

**A/N: I am on a role! I have updated all my stories except Chaos and resurrected Forgetful Darkness. I'm hoping to have Chaos done by the end of this weekend but it's a long chapter, so I don't know. I also start collage Monday so I have no idea how that'll mess with the schedule. I only have one class (since I'm still in high school) so I guess it just depends on how hard the class is. I'll try not to let it slow me down.**

**Well I've got no real comments on this chapter. I'm pleased with how it cam out and had fun writing it. That's about it.**

**Questions and Answers**

**Question: Was this story ever on AFF?**

**Answer: Yes, but that site made me mad and I got fed up and took it down. So it's all good.**

**Question: When will there be Cloud/Leon moments?**

**Answer: Eh, at the moment I'm trying to get Riku and Sora's situation worked out but I'll try to get some in next chapter, we'll have to wait and see.**

**All for now. MUCH LOVE TO THE RANDOMNESS!**


	14. Sunrise

**I can't remember if I did corrections for this chapter or not. Eh…hopefully I did. Sorry if I didn't.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Sunrise**

Sora didn't go back to sleep that night. He stayed awake, watching the sun rise over the sea. It was a very beautiful sight filled with bright colors that were twice as vibrant because of the water reflecting them. _Sunrises and sunsets are truly beautiful things, _Sora mused to himself. _I don't deserve to look at something so pretty when I'm so ugly._

He knew his thoughts were self-pitying and that if he told them to anyone they would reject them venomously. But that's what they were expected to think; they didn't know the truth about him. About what he had let Sephiroth do to him. If they knew, they would hate him, just like Riku.

And Sora wouldn't blame them in the least.

The next morning was a strained one.

Sora had been up before everyone else since he hadn't gone back to sleep after speaking with Riku last night. To say that the other four kids were shocked would be an understatement. Here was the boy who had to be pried from bed every morning with the most extreme methods sitting calmly at the table and staring off into space.

They were amazed.

Kairi shook her head and started for the stove. The others took seats around the kitchen table as well, waiting for breakfast then having to go off to work. "So where's Riku?" Kairi asked as she bustled about making food.

Sora blinked at looked at her, shrugging. "He went out."

"Oh, did he say where he was going?" Kairi pressed.

"No."

"Did he say when he would be back, then?"

"No." Sora stood from his seat and headed to the door.

"Where you going, Sora?" Tidus called after him.

"For a walk," Sora replied absently.

"But what about breakfast?" Selphie exclaimed.

"Not hungry." The door slammed behind him.

The other four were left in silence once Sora had left. Wakka took a breath and shook his head. "First he's up early, then he's refusing food, and Riku's disappeared without saying where. Something's definitely up."

"And we're not going to do anything about it," Kairi said firmly, looking at everyone. "Whatever is going on is between Riku and Sora and probably has to do with whatever happened to them while they were gone." She turned back to cooking. "If things get worse, we'll intervene. But knowing these two, they'll have things patched up before the sun sets."

* * *

Riku was training on the beach when Cloud found him. He swung his makeshift wooden sword through air with harsh movements, jabbing hard at an invisible enemy. Sweat ran down his face as Riku turned and twisted with angry moves that were nowhere near as graceful as he usually was. Cloud sighed; so Sora had told him then. Good, he hadn't wanted to do it himself. Without a word, Cloud turned away from the angry teen and walked back to his ship. He had done his part in this little drama and the blonde was certain that if Riku and Sora really were of his people, they would overcome this problem on their own.

He didn't turn around when Riku screamed and threw his fake sword into the ocean.

Sora had come to the beach. He wasn't sure why, since all he wanted to do was be alone and there was always someone at the beach, yet here he was. He had been wandering around his little home for nearly the entire day and it was almost sunset. He would have to go home soon, or else the others would worry. But Sora really didn't think he could face them or Riku right now, which is why he was still wandering aimlessly. Of course, as is usual when you're trying to avoid something, that something always manages to appear when you least want it to.

Riku was sitting on the sand of the beach, staring off at the sea. His eyes were glazed over and Sora knew that look very well from all their years together. It was Riku's serious thought face. Even though he looked completely out-of-it, Sora knew that Riku was thinking very hard about something. He briefly wondered how long his friend had been out here. Not wanting to face him, or interrupt his thoughts, Sora quickly turned and started back in the way he came. Just as he turned, Riku spoke.

"Sora."

Sora froze in his tracks and twisted around to face the other boy. But Riku wasn't looking at him; Sora didn't think he had even realized he was there. He had just spoken his name at random. As Sora watched, Riku curled his legs to his chest and hid his face with a shaky sigh.

He knew he shouldn't go over there. He knew that he was probably the last person Riku wanted to see right now. But Sora just couldn't turn and walk away. Riku rarely ever showed weakness and the times he had, Sora was always there for him. This time it was his fault Riku was upset and that was all the more reason to try and comfort him. With hesitant steps, Sora walked up behind Riku and gently knelt next to him in the sand.

The movement startled Riku and his head shot up. Sora just smiled sadly at him, tears of regret stained his cheeks. They stared at each other for a long moment before Riku reached out and abruptly pulled Sora into his arms. Sora was surprised, but not unhappy with the gesture.

"I'm sorry," Riku whispered into his ear. Sora gently shook his head, pulling away to look at his friend.

"For what? You didn't do anything."

"I did," Riku corrected sadly. "I couldn't do anything to protect you, when I promised that I would always be there. You needed me most and I wasn't there for you."

Sora just shook his head. "But you couldn't control what happened! And the fact that you never gave up on me and _did_ come proves that you never abandoned me."

"But even when I got you back, I knew something was up. You were acting strange and nothing like yourself." He bit his lip and looked away. "I suspected what had happened, from your behavior and things the crew said when they thought I wasn't listening. I knew…I just wanted to ignore it. I wanted act like I had no idea because I didn't know how to handle what happened to you. I don't know how to…to make rape better."

"You can't," Sora replied solemnly. "There's absolutely no, "making rape better." There's accepting it and moving on. But Riku," Sora's eyes filled with tears again. "You don't understand. You can't rape the willing."

* * *

"Leon!" Cid hurried up to the deck where Cloud and Leon were talking quietly. The turned from looking at the stars to hear what the older man had to say. "The towns' people just got a message from the neighboring port."

"What is it?" Leon asked.

"The_ **Propel**_ has been sunk, captain. No survivors." Cid reported heavily.

"…Get everyone back to the ship. We're leaving at first light."

"Aye." Cid left to carry out his orders.

"Did you finish everything you needed to here?" Cloud asked, turning to his captain.

"Yes." He glanced over at Cloud. "Either they come tonight or we leave them. We won't be able to return to this place again, Cloud."

The blonde nodded and left. This was his last chance to convince Sora and Riku to join them. He hoped he could, the last thing he wanted was to leave them in the town to die.

* * *

"You can't rape the willing."

"What do you mean?" Riku stared at his friend in shock. "Sora, what do you mean by that?"

The brunette sniffed and tried desperately to hold back his tears. "I'm sorry, Riku! I am! But he kept telling me that it was okay. That it didn't matter because I didn't have any special someone waiting for me and…and we were just doing…it for the pleasure! It didn't mean anything, so it was…all right." Riku swallowed hard when Sora paused, but the brunette wasn't finished yet.

"I believed it at the time, because he was…nice. But when he actually um…when he actually did it, I knew he was just lying. It was like a really painful wake up call, you know. I had let myself be fooled because I didn't know what else to do. I was scared and weak and I'm sorry."

"You didn't have anyone special…?" Riku asked slowly, trying to understand.

"Not in a romantic way."

So Sora had been so scared that he had accepted all the lies Sephiroth had told him. It was either that, or he went insane and got hurt fighting back. He didn't have anyone he loved to stop him from hiding the way he had. The brunette had just been protecting himself the best he could in an impossible situation.

"It's still rape, Sora." Riku said after a long moment. He turned Sora's face towards him. "If your mind, body, or heart are against it, then it's a mistake. It wasn't your fault."

He shook his head. "But Riku…"

"It. Wasn't. Your. Fault." He threw his arms around Sora's shoulders and pulled him close to himself. "And as for not having someone to love…" It wasn't the best time to confess, Riku knew. This may even be considered taking advantage of a hurt person. But Riku was going to do everything he could to make sure that if this ever happened again, Sora would have the comfort of knowing someone was waiting for him. He never had to be alone again, because now Sora had Riku and Riku had Sora.

With only the briefest of hesitation, Riku leaned in and kissed the younger boy. His lips were salty from his tears but Riku had never tasted anything more perfect. He couldn't even put into words the wonderful flavor that was wholly Sora. Riku pulled away, not surprised that Sora hadn't responded to the kiss.

"Don't think that again." He finished. "You'll always have me."

Sora just blinked at him. His face scrunched up and more tears fell. With a sob, he buried himself in Riku's arms and cried. His friend just held him close and rubbed his back, whispering kindness in his ear.

* * *

Cloud had gone to Sora and Riku's home to talk to them, only to find out from the other kids that they weren't there. They had both left early that morning and no one had seen them since. Cloud had nodded and left. He decided he would check the beach, since that was the last place he had seen Riku and, as everyone was so fond of saying, find Riku and you've found Sora too, even when they're fighting. The blonde was not disappointed as he came up to the two dark figures on the beach.

Riku and Sora sat closely together and Cloud could hear the occasional sniffle from them. They had probably been speaking of what happened over the past few weeks. Cloud would have preferred to leave them alone and give them more time to fully overcome their torments, but he didn't have that luxury. He had until sunrise today to convince Sora and Riku to come with him or else he left them here to die.

Stepping up behind the boys, Cloud cleared his throat, gaining their attention. They turned towards him but made no move to get up. "May I join you?" Cloud asked politely.

Sora frowned at him. "I'm still mad at you for getting involved in my business." The blonde just nodded, he expected nothing less. "But pull up some sand."

Cloud walked around to sit in front of them and gracefully crossed his legs as he sat. "We're leaving as soon as the sun comes up." He told them without preamble.

"Good luck to you then," Riku offered, being sincere. Sora echoed the sentiment.

"Thank you." He glanced at the two boys, taking in how close they were sitting together. "I want you to both to come with us."

Riku and Sora shifted, trading looks. "We're really honored, but this is our _home_. Our friends and family are all here."

"We can't just leave them," Sora agreed. "I'm sorry, Cloud."

"This is not your home, at least not by birth." The pirate sighed. "I did not want to resort to this, but time has forced me to extremes."

"What are you talking about?" Riku asked.

"All that Leon and I told you about the Destiny Islands is true," he held up his hand to stop their protests. "Whether you believe it or not. I'm going to prove it to you both now."

Sora and Riku traded looks as Cloud stood. He pulled out his dagger from his belt and held the shining blade up. "Riku, hold out your hand." Hesitantly, Riku did so. Cloud grasped it and sliced his palm with one swift movement. Riku hissed and tried to pull his hand back, but Cloud wouldn't let him. Instead, he whispered something and they watched as Riku's cut healed itself perfectly. Sora grabbed his hand and looked at it carefully.

"You…healed it?" He muttered, confused.

"That's about the extent of what I can do with healing," Cloud admitted. "Heal cuts and take away the sting of a bruise. I've never had a talent for healing." He moved away from them again. "And that's mostly because of this." He lifted his clawed hand. The claws themselves looked to be metal and they were only on the top of his hand. "This is something that only proven warriors of my people can get." He flexed his fingers and the metal suddenly expanded, covering his whole hand and his arm up to his elbow. The claws became sharper and longer as well. "They extend when I fight so that I may always have a weapon at me side." He flexed his fingers again and the metal retracted.

"What I show you next is never to be revealed to anyone." Cloud ordered, deadly serious. "Leon already knows of this, so you make speak of it with him, but no one else."

"Speak of what?" Riku whispered in awe, absently rubbing his palm where he had been cut and healed.

Cloud removed his long cape and shirt and closed his eyes. He stood completely still for a few seconds before bending forward, as if in pain. Sora moved towards him, but before he could get more then an inch, Cloud's eyes snapped open. They were completely blue with no white left. His skin looked like it was being stretched off his body and, with a sickening tearing sound, two wings shot from his back.

The wings were large and leathery. They looked like bat wings and spread out as Cloud straightened up. They were pure black with speckles of blood on them from ripping the skin on Cloud's back. Riku and Sora gawked at him and slowly rose to their feet, never once looking away. Cloud was also slightly amused to note that they didn't let go of each other's hands.

"What…?" Riku breathed.

Cloud shook out his wings. "I show very few people these wings, but I needed to do something drastic to get you both to believe me. These wings prove that I am from the Destiny Islands."

"Then…does everyone from there have wings?" Sora asked, confused.

"No. These were something of an…inheritance from my mother." Cloud explained. "Every D.I. gets his or her power by inheriting it from their parents. There are times when a child will develop their own abilities, but that does not happen very often."

"This is impossible," Riku breathed. "How can this…it was all just stories; fairy tales. None of it was _real_."

"It is real," Cloud said gently, but his voice was firm. "Even if we are believed to be false now, it doesn't matter. The Destiny Islands exist. I am from there and so are the two of you."

Sora sat down hard in the sand, dragging Riku with him. They both had dazed looks on their faces, like their world had just been turned upside down. Cloud supposed that was true; finding out that some make-believe island was real and that you are a native to it could be a little mind-blowing. But it would be all right, he would be there to help the teens through any confusion.

Concentrating, Cloud closed his eyes. His wings folded back under his skin and the skin itself healed, leaving no trace of the wings except for two faint lines on his back. He sat down in front of Sora and Riku and watched them patiently.

"I don't understand any of this," Riku admitted after a time. "How can this be real, and how can you be so sure that we're from the Destiny Islands too?"

"You both have unique abilities," Cloud began. "Riku, I noticed yours when I fought with you and Sora's when he was hurt. He healed abnormally fast."

"He always has…" Riku muttered, realizing how true that statement was. Sora was never one to stay injured long.

"People from the Islands can tell if someone else is from there as well or not," Cloud continued. "I can teach you two how to sense others with special abilities, but since you have never been around anyone of your own kind, save each other, it might be a bit difficult to learn."

"We can learn anything just fine," Sora frowned absentmindedly. A smirk tugged at Cloud's lip. "Cloud…if the Destiny Islands are real, where are they?"

The blonde smiled sadly. "That is a very closely guarded secret. We have hidden away from everyone ever since the loss of our royal families. We tell the location of our home to no one who is not of Destiny Islands origins and we do not bring outsiders to our home. To do so is an extreme crime."

"What kind of crime?" Riku asked.

"Treason. Betrayal." He answered solemnly. "And for a people as loyal as us, that is not something that is forgiven. It's like you two turning on your friends, Kairi and the other three, or them turning on you."

"We would never do that to them! They're our family!" Sora exclaimed.

"And the Destiny Islands are your home."

Sora bit his lip and curled against Riku's shoulder. The silver haired boy wrapped an arm around him as he thought. "So are you going to tell us where it is?"

"I will, because it is your birthright to know your home," Cloud nodded. "The Islands are located past the Straights. Once you pass through them, you travel for three days on Open Ocean and on the fourth day you will see land. The main cities and towns where the Islanders live are in the very heart of the country."

"Wow, paranoid much?" Riku grumbled.

"Like I said, we value our privacy." Cloud smiled.

"The Straights," Sora spoke. "I thought no one knew where those were?"

"Very few people do," Cloud agreed. "There are only two maps in existence that show the way to the Straights and there are none that show a way _through_ them."

"Then what's the point of going there if you can't get past them?" Riku pressed.

"Well, that's where we come in," Cloud admitted. "We are connected to the place we were born and because of that, people from the Destiny Islands can lead others through the Straights safely."

"Like a compass?" Sora piped up. Cloud allowed a small smile.

"I suppose you could say that," he agreed.

"So say all this is true, why do you care so much about us?" Riku asked. "Why do you care if we ever see our home again or find out where we come from?"

The blonde ran a hand though his spiky hair, thinking how best to answer the teen. "It is because we are very loyal to each other. We never turn our backs on our own people. Also," his face took a slightly sheepish expression. "It has been a very long time since I've been around my own people. I left our home in search of adventure and got trapped out here. I want nothing more then to go back."

"You got trapped?" Sora asked, looking at him sadly.

"I used a map to find the straights and entrusted it to some friends. However they were killed and the map was stolen. I've been trying to find it ever since."

"So you're just like us," Sora said sadly. "You can't find your home."

"Then why should we go with you?" Riku demanded. "If you can't even find the way to the Islands, then what's the point of us tagging along?"

"Because I will find the map again," Cloud answered. "In fact we have just found out where it is, which is why we're leaving so quickly." He stared at Riku. "I would also like to teach you both how to use your abilities properly and about our people."

"We'd be leaving Kairi, Wakka, Tidus and Selphie," Sora pointed out. "Would we ever get to see them again?"

"Maybe," Cloud said hesitantly. "But I doubt it."

Sora and Riku looked at each other. They had no desire to leave their family; hell, they had just got back to them mere days ago. But Cloud was offering them what they had always wanted, had always _dreamed_ of. He was showing them the way home. How could they pass it up?

"Will you come with me?"

"…Yes." Riku met his eyes. "We will."

* * *

"I can't believe you're leaving," Selphie cried as she stood on the docks near sunrise that morning. "We just got you back."

"You'll all be fine," Riku assured her. "Just stick together and you'll never have any trouble." He pulled the crying girl into a tight hug and messed her hair up lovingly.

"Oh, Selph!" Sora sniffed. "It's not like we'll be gone forever! Screw what anyone else says, we'll be back someday. I _promise_!"

Tidus walked up behind him and through his arms around Sora's shoulders, pressing his face against his back. "We're holding you to that, Sora. If you take too long, we'll come and hunt you down." His voice cracked as he spoke, but he forcefully held the tears back.

"We'll miss you guys so much," Riku admitted, feeling choked up as well. Shifting Selphie to one side, Riku held his other arm out to Kairi, who stepped into his hold, tears falling down her face. Wakka moved next to Sora and Tidus and the family stood as close together as they could. They all put their hands together in the center of the small circle they'd made.

"We'll see each other again." Riku stated clearly. Kairi and Selphie nodded through their tears and Wakka and Tidus smiled faintly at the promise.

"We've never broken a promise to each other before and we won't start now." Sora added. His face was lined with tears now too, having lost the battle to keep them hidden. "Until next time. I love you Kairi. I love you Wakka. I love you Tidus. I love you Selphie." Riku repeated his words once he'd finished.

"I love you too, Sora. I love you too, Riku." Everyone echoed.

The all hugged each other for a long minute before Riku and Sora stepped away. The two hurried onto the ship where Cloud was waiting and turned to watch their family. As Leon gave the order to set sail, Riku and Sora leaned over the railing and said nothing as the ship got under way. They stayed in the same spot, watching as their family, friends, and home got smaller and smaller.

"Don't look so sad, you two," Yuffie said, stepping up beside them. "You'll be happy with us too."

"Yes, you'll have a wonderful time out on the sea," Aerith agreed, smiling at them.

"It's just hard," Sora explained. "We've searched our entire lives for a home and we had one with those guys, in that town. It's hard to give it all up."

"You can always come back later," Aerith soothed. "We have chores, if you need anything, just call."

"Thanks," Riku nodded and turned back to watching their home get smaller. It was still large on the horizon and Riku noticed absently that if he jumped off the ship now, he could still manage to swim back to the shore.

"Cloud and Leon wanted to talk to you, when you're feeling up to it." Yuffie told the two as she walked away. "See ya."

"Come on, watching it disappear isn't going to change anything," Riku nudged Sora away from the railing and started towards the captain's cabin and their new lives.

* * *

**Propel: It's a type of flavored water. I thought it was funny to name a ship after bottled water.

* * *

**

**A/N: After much wishy-washing, I finally decided to go with this chapter. I wasn't sure because it kinda left me stuck for the next chapter and I'm not too fond of Cloud's telling them about the Destiny Islands. I feel so repetitive.**

**I will warn everyone now not to expect an update this month. I'm graduating high school in seven days and also turning 18 on the same day. I've got a bunch of parties to go to, not to mention my own. So yeah, don't expect much from me in June. **

**Woho! Loves to all!**


	15. Teaching and Learning

**Chapter Fifteen: Teaching and Learning**

"Before you can start to learn to control any abilities you have, I need to know what you can do," Cloud stated as Sora and Riku sat in front of him in Leon's cabin. The two exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Like what?" Sora asked.

Cloud sighed, pushing back his annoyance. "Like anything abnormal. Things that you can do that maybe no one else can. Or things you're better at then most."

"Eating," Sora immediately piped up.

"Pissing people off," Riku added. Behind Cloud, Leon grunted; he had no trouble believing any of that.

Cloud however, rubbed his forehead and sighed in annoyance. "Physical abilities."

Riku and Sora traded looks and decided to stop goofing around. "I can see things really far away," Sora told the blonde. "My eyes just kinda do it. Sometimes it happens when I want to see something far away but can't, other times it just happens."

"A useful trick," Riku muttered. "It always let us know when slave traders were coming or which way to run when we were somewhere we didn't know."

"Go on." Cloud encouraged.

"Um…that's it really. Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "I heal really fast. Like I've always healed faster then Riku or anyone else in the town. The doctor was always amazed at how I did that. Um…does that count?"

"Yes Sora," Cloud nodded. "Riku?"

"I can move really fast when I need to and jump pretty high," Riku nodded. "That's about it for me."

"Is there anything else? Things that you might not think are important or have anything to do with this. Maybe something that you take for granted?" Cloud pushed.

"Us." Sora stated, then blushed. "I mean, we always take being together for granted. I can always find Riku when he's in trouble and he's always found me."

Riku shrugged and offered a little smile. "Can't argue with that."

Cloud sat back in his seat and took a thoughtful look. "How did you two end up together?"

Sora grinned widely before speaking. "We met on a beach. It was cold and rainy, and there was no one around. I was just walking along the beach and found Riku. We've never been apart since."

"You were on a random beach?" Leon spoke for the first time, raising an eyebrow. Sora jumped; he had forgotten the older brunette was there.

"A shipwreck." Riku added, nowhere near as excited about Sora in telling this particular thing about themselves. "There was wood and everything around us, most likely from a shipwreck. At least that's what I figure. I don't know if the beach we were on had a name, but it was in the navy owned lands, I'm sure of that."

Cloud frowned deep in thought and Leon glanced at him suspiciously. He was hiding something and the brunette made a mental note to find out what later. Shaking his head and focusing back on the boys, Cloud got down to business.

"All right Sora, we need to train your eyes," he decided. "From what you described, you pretty much have the ability of Far-sight. Being able to see things at great distances is only the basic of this ability though."

"Basic?" Sora interrupted, looking excited. "So then I can do more?"

"Most likely," the blonde agreed. "We'll have to test you. Being Far-sighted usually means you can scry for things or people and, depending on how powerful you are, sometimes see through solid objects."

"Like walls?" Sora exclaimed, wide eyed. "Seriously! That's so cool! Did you hear that, Riku?"

"Yes Sora, I'm sitting right next to you." Riku deadpanned. "So what about me?"

"Riku you seem to have great physical prowess," Cloud turned to the second teen. "My guess is that with a little a work and training you can probably focus your strength to any part of your body, giving yourself a boost."

"What do you mean?" Riku asked, confused.

"You have been running a lot of your life, correct?" Riku nodded. "And you have always been faster then everyone else?" Another nod. "That is because you focus all your strength into running so you can get away. What I'll try to teach you is to focus all of your strength into, say, your arms during a fight. Instead of your legs being extra strong, it will be your arms."

Riku nodded in thought. "I can focus my energy into different parts of my body depending on what I was doing. That could be helpful."

"We'll have to build up your stamina," Cloud informed him. "I'll have Leon do that while I work with Sora."

"My stamina is just fine," Riku glared.

"It could be better. You tired too quickly in our fight."

"That's because using my speed trick is tiring," Riku defended himself.

"This is why Leon will help you build up your stamina, so you can use it more and last longer in a fight."

"Fine." Riku grumbled. "When do we start?"

"Tomorrow."

* * *

Cloud stood in the crows nest with Sora and the crewman who always stood look out. It was tight fit, but Sora was small and didn't take up a lot of space, so they managed.

"All right Sora," Cloud began, "I want you to look out to sea and tell me what you see."

Sora did so and turned back to Cloud. "I see water."

"Obviously," blonde frowned. "Don't just look, _look_. Try to remember what it feels like when you see things at a great distance. Think about that and focus in one direction."

Sora nodded and looked back out at the ocean. He thought about the slight stinging of his eyes and how the world seemed to take on a blurry edge and the colors dimmed. He remembered how everything rushed towards his face before he saw things far away.

Without really realizing it, Sora's eyes glazed over and the feelings he had just been thinking about happened. Trying not to blink, Sora glanced around before speaking to Cloud. "All I see is water still."

"That's fine," Cloud assured him. "Now keep your eyes like this for as long as you can."

"I've never tried that before," Sora muttered, turning his head to look in different directions. He managed to last two minutes before his pupils started to go in and out of focus. "Cloud, it's starting to hurt."

"Okay, you can stop."

Sora blinked and squeezed his eyes shut, rubbing them. "They started burning."

"That's normal for someone who hasn't been trained properly. You lasted longer then I expected."

Sora grinned, glad to have impressed the blonde. Cloud gestured for him to climb down and nodded in thanks to the crewman. Once they were back on the deck, Sora glanced around for Riku. His eyes didn't sting anymore but were still a little watery. He found his friend and Leon by the bow. They were doing some sort of exercises and Riku looked annoyed.

"Riku!" Sora yelled. The teen glanced at him, still stretching. "Two minutes, remember it!"

"All right," Riku nodded back and refocused on his task.

Sora turned to Cloud happily. "Okay, what next?"

* * *

Leon had Riku up at the crack of dawn. Though Riku admitted that the sunrise looked even more beautiful on the open sea, he would have much rather been sleeping. Making sure not to wake Sora, Riku quietly got dressed and slipped from the room. It wasn't often lately that Sora slept an entire night without waking up from some sort of nightmare and Riku wasn't going to ruin his sleep just to say see ya.

Riku stepped onto the deck in the dim morning light and shivered a little. It was kinda chilly on the water. There were a total of three people on deck besides himself; the night helm-man and the night watchman, and Leon, standing at the bow waiting for him. With a passing waving at the helmsman, Riku made his way over to Leon.

"Why are we up so early?" Riku whined. "Can't we do whatever we're doing later? Like…the afternoon?"

"If we were on land, this would be easier," Leon spoke calmly. "But since we have limited space we will have to practice longer to make up for it."

Riku frowned at him. "How does less space equal more practice?"

"Stretches first." Leon ordered, ignoring him. "We'll start with your legs, since you rely on them most."

They spent the next three hours doing stretches Riku had never even _heard_ of. Hell, he needed to stretch just to stretch! Leon wasn't any help either, he kept scowling or getting annoyed at Riku's lack of flexibility. It wasn't his fault he had such a study frame, that's just how Riku was born. Sora was better at bending then him…

Speaking of Sora, Riku glanced towards the stairs that led below decks to see his friend and Cloud appearing. Sora still looked sleepy, but seemed to have gotten a good rest. He caught his eye and Sora waved, to which Riku answered with a smirk. The brunette was dragged off by Cloud and Riku returned his focus to his stretching.

A full five minutes later, Riku was planning a mutiny on Leon. They had been stretching for three hours now. He was stretched. He was so stretched, he felt like a fucking spring. It was time to move on. And Riku took it upon himself to tell Leon this.

The older man glanced at him and simply answered, "Not yet," before ignoring him once again. Riku nearly screamed in frustration.

"Riku!" A voice called. He turned to see a happy Sora waving at him. "Two minutes, remember it!"

"All right," Riku agreed easily. Sora had never been good at remembering things, so he'd always ask Riku to do it. The teen had long since gotten used to the brunette asking him to remember odd things. Focusing back on Leon, Riku continued to glare.

Suddenly, Leon straightened up. "All right, we're done."

"Finally!" Riku yelled, throwing his hands into the air. "What the hell were we doing stretching for so long, anyways?"

"We were waiting for everyone to wake up since we will be running and making a lot of noise."

Riku blinked at him incredulously. "You tortured me with three _hours_ of stretches just so a bunch of pirates could _sleep_ _in_?"

"Run." Leon ordered, not caring about Riku's anger in the least.

"What?"

Frowning, Leon repeated himself. "Run. You can go in circles, run the length of the ship, I don't care. You will keep running until you can't move anymore. I will time you."

"What's the point of this little exercise?" Riku grumbled.

"Testing your stamina. Depending on how good of shape you're in, I will know what we will need to work on and how hard we are going to have to work." He frowned disapprovingly. "We will have to extend your patience; you started whining not even five minutes into stretches."

"It was stupid. I was bored."

"Begin. Now."

With a disgruntled sigh, Riku turned and began to jog the length of the ship until, as Leon had ordered, he passed out.

* * *

"Okay, since you basically know how to see things far away from you whenever you want," Cloud began, leading Sora to the railing of the ship, "We're going to test your ability to scry for things. See if you have any talent for that or not."

"Okay." Sora nodded, looking determined. "What do I do?"

"We'll start out simple," he picked up a bucket from the deck and tied a rope around it. "Now scrying is a very particular art. You have to do everything yourself, with your own hands and abilities or it won't work." He pushed the bucket towards Sora. "Fill the bucket up with water from the ocean, but be careful not to spill any."

Sora nodded and did as he was told, carefully lowering and raising the bucket from the water. He then set the bucket on the deck and followed Cloud's example to sit before it with his legs tucked underneath him.

"Good," Cloud nodded. "Now the real work begins. I want you to picture something on this ship that you can't see from here."

"Person or object?" Sora asked.

"Object, people are harder to scry for."

Sora nodded and thought about it. A really simple object…his shirt. There was a shirt on the floor of his and Riku's shared room. That should be easy enough to start with. He told Cloud his decision and the blonde nodded approvingly.

"That will work fine. Now, think about that shirt. What it looks like, the material used to make it, is it comfortable to wear?"

Sora closed his eyes and thought as hard as he could about the shirt on the floor. He tried to recall all the details he possibly could about it, no matter how small. He heard Cloud chuckle and peeked open an eye in annoyance.

"What?" He grumbled. "I'm doing what you told me."

"Sora, in order to see where something is, you kinda need to have your eyes open."

The brunette flushed a bright red and glared. "I knew that."

"If it helps you to focus, stare into the water." Cloud gestured at the bucket. "The water is wear the image will appear, anyways."

Sora nodded and once again did as told. He refocused on the shirt, this time staring into his water bucket. As the image of the shirt became clearer in his mind, Sora could feel that slight stinging in his eyes that usually meant he was about to see something far away. Except this time, instead of his eyes sharpening, they began to blur. His pupils glazed over and an image began to form in the water. As Sora concentrated harder on the shirt in his mind, the image started to take shape. Sora was sure it would turn into a shirt, but just as the image began clearing up, a loudly shouted, "Finally!" broke his concentration.

Startled, Sora blinked and looked over towards where Riku had stopped stretching and was instead glaring angrily at Leon, looking pissed. "Stupid Riku…" Sora grumbled and Cloud chuckled. Sora glanced over to see him leaning comfortably on the wall.

"So what did you see?" The blonde asked casually.

"A shape." Sora answered. "I'm sure it was the shirt, but Riku distracted me and now the shape's gone."

Cloud nodded. "Scrying takes great concentration. The smallest distraction can cause you to loose your vision. Honestly, I'm surprised you managed to even begin to see the shirt, you don't exactly have the longest attention span."

"What?" Sora asked absently, watching Riku running across the ship. He turned back to Cloud. "Sorry, wasn't paying attention, what'd you say?"

Cloud shook his head and stood up. "Keep trying to see the shirt. I have some work to do, but once you manage to fully see it, come find me."

"All right," Sora grumbled and refocused his attention back on the water. "Thanks Cloud."

The blonde nodded and walked away.

* * *

"You're enjoying yourself," Leon accused as Cloud walked up to him at the bow of the ship. Fours hours left of daylight and the two men were finally able to talk. Riku was almost passed out but valiantly pressed forward in his running and Sora had advanced to objects harder to see then shirts.

Cloud didn't deny Leon's words. "It's invigorating, to be amongst some of my own people again, even if they are untrained children."

"How's Sora doing?"

"Excellent. If I didn't know any better I swear someone had already taught him all this and I was just reminding him how to do it. He's a natural with sight."

"Hn." Leon grunted and watched as Riku stumbled but forced himself up again.

"How's Riku doing?"

"He's going to hurt himself if he doesn't quit soon," Leon answered. "Though he has surpassed my expectations. It seems his stamina is superb when he doesn't use that speed trick of his."

"It's because he has no control, so he uses it all at once instead of moderately," Cloud explained. "We will have to teach him control and restraint."

"Hn."

"Oh come on, Leon," Cloud smirked, feeling playful. "It'll be fun. You can hit him when he doesn't listen. Good stress relief."

"You neglect to mention that he will be the cause of my stress."

Cloud laughed just as there was a loud "thump" and Sora's worried yells of "Riku!"

"Five hours of light jogging with no break or water," Leon reported. "Your people truly are amazing."

* * *

**A/N: So this was more of a filler chapter then anything. But wait until the next chapter comes out, it's going to be so fun! I've got nothing to say really…so, bye!**

**Questions and Answers**

**Question: Does Sephiroth know that Sora is a D.I.?**

**Answer: No, otherwise he wouldn't have let him go so easily at Traverse Town.**

**Question: Did Sora ever get those slave-cuffs things off?**

**Answer: Hmm…I totally forgot about those. Yes, they are off, no I never showed it. Sorry, my bad.**

**Question:** **Will Sephiroth catch up to them and follow them into Destiny Island?**

**Answer: Oh yes, most definitely. Not just him either, I can't wait till I get that far.**


	16. A Legendary Thief

**There's special meaning in this chapter title, but I don't think we've gotten far enough in the story yet for you to be able to figure it out. Then again, maybe you could, if you're really good with noticing details.**

**If you find any randomly placed "NAME" or "I" instead of "Sora" or"Pico"I apologize.**

**Oh, one last thing. I told one reviewer that was some Sora/Riku moments in this chapter. To that person, I apologize. I got my chapters mixed up. It's _seventeen_ that has the Riku/Sora fluffyness. Sorry.**

**Chapter Sixteen: A Legendary Thief**

"What are we doing out here so late, Cloud?" Sora asked, yawning slightly and leaning on Riku. Though Riku didn't protest this, he really wished Sora wouldn't lean on him. Despite all the stretching he had done, the teen was sore and stiff from all his running. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more then to go to bed.

"I want to teach you one last thing for today," Cloud answered, stopping by the railing and pulling out three paper flowers.

"Please, no more teaching," Riku grumbled. "I don't think I can take it."

Cloud smiled slightly. "Don't worry, there's nothing strenuous about this." He handed each teen a flower. "Our people are very close, since there are so few of us left. When one dies, all mourn."

Sora blinked and straightened up. "Someone died?"

"Yes," Cloud nodded solemnly. "The blacksmith that lived at your village, Pico. He boarded a ship to leave to another village and it was attacked and sunk."

"By who?" Riku asked.

"Sephiroth."

Sora cringed at the name and moved closer to Riku. "So then we're doing this to mourn him?"

The blonde nodded "Pico wasn't actually a full blooded member of our race. His mother was from the islands, but his father was from Traverse Town. When she fell in love with him, she gave up all ties to her people to be with him."

"Romantic," Sora whispered.

"Yes, but a very hard thing to do. She died mere years after severing ties, leaving her husband and new born child alone. Pico was never told about his mother's heritage and so he never sought out his home. He instead followed in his father's footsteps and became a blacksmith. I only know because his father confessed the secret to me when he discovered my origins."

"I never knew that," Sora shifted on his feet. "He was always a recluse in our town, but he made really great swords."

"Yes, that was a talent his mother had past onto him. To be great with metal. Anyways," He turned to the water. "When one of our people passes away, we send a flower onto the water."

Cloud, Riku, and Sora stood at the railing and Cloud held his hand out, palm up with the flower on it. Riku and Sora mimicked him and a soft wind blew the weightless flowers from their hand into the water.

"Why a flower?" Sora asked after a few moments of silence.

"A flower represents the beauty of life and a wish for a peaceful death," Cloud explained. "Flowers are treasured on the islands."

"I can't wait to get there. It sounds so amazing."

"We have our share of problems Sora, just like everyone else," Cloud smiled lightly.

"Yeah, but still…" Sora shook his head with a large grin. "I can't wait."

* * *

The next morning Leon woke Riku up at the crack of dawn once again. The silver haired teen though, now that he knew the reason why he had to get up so early, choose to ignore the older man and go back to sleep. A fact that made Leon _very_ annoyed. He ended up not wanting to be bothered forcing a kid out of bed and just threw a bucket of water on Riku (and Sora too, since the boys shared a bed). 

Riku was beyond pissed; not only had he been woken up in the rudest of ways, but Sora had refused to go back to sleep after that. After Cloud had sent the two to bed late last night, Sora hadn't been able to sleep. His mind had been full of the new things Cloud had told him and even when Riku finally got the brunette to shut up and sleep, he had been woken constantly with nightmares.

When Riku had confronted Leon about this, all the brunette did was shrug uncaringly. "If you do not want me waking Sora up as well, get up when I tell you to."

Riku made it his personal goal to be the biggest bitch possible that day.

As the day passed, Sora and Riku both continued with their training while also taking on chores around the ship. They fell into a routine of working with Cloud and Leon in the mornings, chores and free time for part of the afternoon, then more training until the sunset. Cloud would often tell them stories about their home (at Sora's request) with a wistful tone before the boys turned in for the night. As the days passed, Riku and Sora learned many new things.

Sora learned that it was easier to scry for objects he was familiar with. The more details he could think of, the easier it was.

Riku learned that skipping out on stretches made him hurt worse after Leon was finished with him.

Sora learned how to use his Far-sight with only one eye, while the other remained normal so he was still aware of what was happening around him.

Riku learned pissing of Leon was hilarious.

Sora learned it was a _lot_ harder to scry for people then objects.

Riku learned Leon hit hard.

Sora learned that sitting and staring at a wall doesn't help you to see through it.

Riku learned that Leon hit back even harder.

Sora learned hitting walls only hurt _him_, not the wall.

Riku learned to behave.

* * *

"You two are slave drivers," Riku cursed Cloud as he, Sora, and the blonde pirate sat out under the stars. Everyone except the night-crew was already below decks, getting ready to sleep. The two teens leaned against the side of the ship, Sora comfortably resting his head on Riku's shoulder while the silver head wrapped an arm around his waist. Cloud was standing with his arms crossed, looking up at the sky. 

"You're just lazy," he countered boredly.

"No," Sora mumbled. "I agree with Riku, you two are mean."

Cloud smirked at Sora's tired voice; he sounded so sure of himself. Like it was true just because he said it. It wasn't often that the brunette sounded so secure and Cloud felt a pang of sadness at his lack of self-confidence.

"The moon's full tonight," Riku spoke up after a quiet moment. "It looks so huge on the sea."

"There's a legend about the full moon in our land," Cloud said quietly, staring that the golden object hanging in the black sky.

Sora stirred from his place in Riku's arm and sat up. "Oh, another story." He smiled.

Cloud frowned slightly, not liking the idea of being called a story-teller. He shrugged it off though; it was comforting telling the two boys about his home. It reminded him that no matter how lost he became; there was still a place for him to return to. And that was one thing he treasured above all else.

"This is one of our darker legends," Cloud spoke. "It is said when the full moon vanishes from the sky, strangers from another world will unleash a great evil into our land. The evil will spread into the hearts of our people and devour our islands until there is nothing left."

Sora's eyes were wide as he listened to Cloud. "Wow, that's sad. What's the 'great evil'?"

"No one really knows," Cloud shrugged. "But it is said to be pure darkness with a physical form. It is believed that it feeds off hearts."

Sora made a face at the mental imagery while Riku asked, "Is that why strangers aren't allowed on the islands?"

Cloud tilted his head a bit in thought. "Partly…there are many legends that say strangers will bring harm to our home. But I think it's more our fear of outsiders that keep us secluded."

"So…we're cowards?" Riku deadpanned.

"No." Cloud snapped. "We are people just like everyone else."

"Except we can do stuff." Sora piped up.

"Has it always been this way?" Riku pressed on. "Us hiding from people?"

"No. A little more then ten years ago our royal family decided to make contact with the outsiders. A lot of people were against it and didn't want the royalties to go. But our king and queen did anyways and made it as far as the navy lands before they were killed."

"Killed?"

"No one knows what happened for sure, but most believe it was pirates looking for the fabled riches of our people. They attacked the ship of our royal families; there were no survivors."

"That's horrible!" Sora exclaimed.

Cloud nodded in agreement. "After that, we cut off what little contact we had with the outside world and hid away on the islands. Those of us who were on the outside when this happened got stuck out here with no way home."

"How many people got trapped?" Riku asked.

Cloud shrugged. "I know of seven. Though most are dead by now. I don't know how many others there are or how many half breed children have appeared from them."

"Do you think that's what are?" Sora asked. "Half-breeds?"

"It's possible. Though you are abnormally strong if you are. Also, the timing is off, you would be younger if you are the child of The Trapped."

"The Trapped?"

"It is what we call ourselves, the ones who were unlucky enough to be on the outside when the gates closed."

"If the Destiny Islands are sealed from everyone else, how are we supposed to get in?" Riku frowned.

"Our people can recognize each other for what we are and they know some of Islanders are trapped on the outside. They will allow us in when we reach the gates."

"Good," Sora nodded, leaning against Riku once again. "I think I'd cry if I was told I can't go see my home."

"Don't worry, Sora," Cloud assured him. "I promise that the both of you will be able to see the islands, no matter what."

* * *

"Hidden objects are harder to…pay attention Sora!" Cloud whapped the boy on the head when Sora's attention wandered yet again. He couldn't help it! Riku and Leon were not even twenty feet away fighting with swords. Riku's shirt had been discarded in the afternoon heat and he was covered in sweat and little cuts everywhere. His eyes were bright, almost glowing, as he stared down Leon. The two had been at it for an hour now and Sora was finding the attractive Riku very distracting to his own lessons. 

"Sorry Cloud…" The brunette mumbled. The blonde sighed and glanced at the dueling pair. Most of the crew had stopped to watch the two men fight.

"Gorgeous, aren't they?" Cloud sighed and leaned against the railing. Sora, who was sitting on the deck with his legs crossed, glanced up at the blonde in surprise.

"What?"

"Not only them, but how they fight as well. So determined and passionate. It's a beautiful thing to watch."

"Yeah…" Sora agreed vaguely. He hadn't been paying the least bit attention to their fighting skills. But Cloud didn't need to know that.

"Well, come on," he started heading for below decks, gesturing for Sora to follow him.

"What? Where are we going?"

"You're not going to focus if we stay up here, so we're going somewhere else."

* * *

"You're awfully tense today, Vincent." Sephiroth commented idly as he stared out to sea. 

"Something…is off. In the winds." Vincent replied vaguely.

"Is it another storm?" They seemed to have been getting caught in a lot of those lately.

"No." Vincent stated, his dark eyes narrowed at the water. "I can't feel any storms. At all."

"Then there is nothing to worry about."

"No." The dark haired man frowned deeper and suddenly leaned forward on the railing, listening intently to a sound only he could hear. "We are about to fall under attack, Captain."

Sephiroth did not think twice about this information. It merely confirmed his own strange feeling of forbidding that had struck him when they'd entered the unfamiliar waters.

"Prepare to fight." Sephiroth turned and coldly ordered the helmsman. The man nodded and ran to a bell, ringing it loudly while shouting at the pirates to prepare the cannons. Just as everyone started getting to work, three large ships appeared on the horizon, heading towards them fast.

"Ansem." Vincent stated. "He has us out gunned. I suggest we flee."

"Their ships are faster then ours, we'll have to fight."

Vincent nodded in agreement, frowning at the ships coming towards them. Something didn't feel right about the vessels.

"They're turning to starboard!" A crewman yelled. "Turn to match! Prepare cannons for fire!"

The pirate crew hurried to comply and stood next to the cannons at attention, waiting for Sephiroth's order to open fire.

"Hold steady," Sephiroth ordered. "Let them get closer."

As everyone stood tensely, waiting for the first attack, Vincent focused on the ships once again. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was severely wrong. Sephiroth raised his hand, preparing to give the signal to fire just as a warm breeze picked up. Suddenly, Vincent knew what was wrong.

"FIR-"

"Wait!" Vincent interrupted. "Captain, those ships aren't there."

Sephiroth glared at his first in command. "What nonsense are you talking about? We can all see them quiet clearly."

"Perhaps with our eyes," Vincent offered mysteriously. "But the wind does not touch them. The wind is telling me they are not there."

"This is no time for your ghost feelings," Sephiroth snapped.

"Look at the sails of the ship, Captain." Vincent insisted calmly, completely sure of himself. "Notice how they have not fired upon us yet? And why can't we see any crew on the decks?" Sephiroth stared closely at the upcoming ships, confirming his first officer's words as true. "They are not but illusions."

"A trick of your people?" The pirate captain muttered, so as not to let the still anxious crew hear.

"Ansem is no member of my race." The man declared loudly and firmly. From behind them, a hard wind blew, playing with the two men's long hair. Vincent snapped around and glared behind them.

"He attacks us from behind like a coward."

"Turn the ship!" Sephiroth ordered. "Ignore the ships before us, they pose no threat. Ready the cannons to fire as soon as Ansem is in range!"

The crew was a flurry of movement again as the ship was turned and the cannons repositioned. Even as they repositioned themselves, Ansem's ship opened fire, catching them off guard. However thanks to Vincent's warning, they weren't nearly as bad off as they could have been.

They exchanged cannon fire for many minutes before Ansem's ship pulled along next to them. Ansem's pirates began boarding and the combat soon became hand to hand. Sephiroth and Ansem engaged in a sword fight to the death while Vincent cornered Maleficent, refusing to let her get past him.

As the battle raged on, a small figure crawled between the fighting and sidestepped the fallen pirates. The little creature stayed to the shadows as it made its' way to the captain's rooms. The little antennas perched on its head twitched randomly as it silently moved through the halls. When it found Sephiroth's room, the door was locked so the small creature flattened himself into the ground and crawled under the space between the door bottom and floor.

It made quick work of searching the small room. When it found what it was after, the small creature once again sank into the floor and left the room, not a single trace of it remained, save for the missing item it had stolen.

As if some unspoken command had been issued, Ansem's pirates suddenly drew away from all their fights. They offered a few last jeers and insults before fleeing back to their own ships. Ansem bowed mockingly to Sephiroth, a cocky grin on his face.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Sephiroth." He sneered and jumped back onto his ship without any aid at all. As the rival pirate ship began to pull away, Ansem stood on the railing and laughed disdainfully at Sephiroth. "We'll meet again."

Sephiroth allowed them to go without anymore fight, ordering his men to begin cleaning up the damage and throwing the dead overboard. As the pirates did as told, Sephiroth found Vincent, who was watching Ansem disappear.

"Whether you like it or not," Sephiroth whispered to him. "Ansem is one of your people. There is no other way he could do the things he does."

Vincent refused to reply.

* * *

**A/N: All right that pirate fight sucked. A lot. The only good part of it was the last line, "Vincent refused to reply." But creating the legends for the Destiny Islands and the funeral ritual thing was fun.

* * *

**

**Anyway, I have a request for anyone who's a fan of Harry Potter fanfics. I'm trying to find where Harry travels back in time and changes his fate. Like he tells someone in the past what's going to happen or goes back and defeats Voldemort which changes his life drastically. Actually, any well-written time travel fic will do. I just can't seem to find any good ones. **

**If anyone knows one, or writes one themselves, please let me know!

* * *

**

**Question and Answers!**

**Is Sephiroth's "old lover" from previous chapters Zack from FF7?**

**Answer: Oh hey, that's a really good question. **

**OKAY! This is the last time I'm saying this, my wonderful readers. Vincent IS from the Destiny Islands, just like Sora and Riku and Cloud.**

**Sephiroth IS NOT from the Destiny Islands like Vincent, Sora, Riku, and Cloud.**

**Any other questions?**

**LUVS!**


	17. The Ansem Problem

**Thumbs up to Shingo the Pest. She figured out the not-so-secret meaning in the title last chapter.**

**Chapter Seventeen: The Ansem Problem**

Riku stretched languidly as he and Sora woke up that morning, for once at the same time. Listening to the noise above him, Riku guessed it was pretty late in the morning. Sora sat up and stretched his arms over his head, sighing as his back cracked satisfyingly.

"Wow…we got to sleep in." Sora yawned. "That's a relief."

Riku snorted. "No, this probably just means they have something sadistic planned for us."

"Rather, Leon has something sadistic for you. Cloud's nice." Sora corrected happily.

"Haha." Riku threw some clothes his way. "Well come on, let's see what's going on."

As Sora was slipping into Riku's pants (all his clothes were filthy) something fell out of the pocket. He blinked in surprise and picked up the worn out parchment. "What's this, Riku?"

"Hmm?" Riku took the paper and opened it. "Oh, it's a map Shazou gave me when I first set out to find you. He said his dad had traveled all over the world and made this map while doing it."

"It must have been hard for Shazou to give it up," Sora commented. "Everyone knows how much he idolized his father."

"He agreed with us that it was worth the loss. It helped me to find you, after all." Riku wrapped an arm around his younger friend and rested his chin on Sora's head as they both looked at the map. Sora smiled and shyly and gently kissed his older friend. Riku chuckled and kissed him back.

"You're rather loving this morning," he teased.

Sora fought a blush. "You're rather loving at night."

"What?"

"Oh don't play innocent," Sora rolled his eyes playfully. "I can feel those butterfly kisses you give me when you think I'm asleep."

Sora then had the rare delight of seeing Riku blush. "Well I…that's…"

A knock on the door saved Riku from his uncharacteristic stuttering. Hurrying to answer it (and ignoring Sora's laughter), Riku was met with the slightly worried face of Yuffie. However she managed a smile for the two teens.

"Leon and Cloud wanted me to tell you that there's no training today. Something's happened and they don't have time, but you could probably do stuff on your own."

"Sure," Riku nodded. "But what's going on?" Riku closed the door as he and Sora followed Yuffie to the deck.

"Well you know how we're trying to get to the Straights and all?" Yuffie began.

"Yup, for me and Cloud and Riku, right?" Sora piped up.

"Yeah. Well the map that leads us there got stolen by Sephiroth." Sora flinched at the pirate's name and Riku held his hand reassuringly. "But we just got word that a couple days ago Sephiroth was attacked."

"Someone attacked Sephiroth?" Sora squeaked in disbelief. "But…that's insane! Even Cloud and Leon avoid him if they can."

"The guy who attacked him was another pirate captain named Ansem."

Sora frowned, remembering an overbearing man with white hair and amber eyes. He shivered at the thought.

"Who's Ansem?" Riku asked, never having encountered him before.

"He's a lot like Sephiroth: psychopathic, powerful, and mean. Aside from Cloud, he's the only one who's ever challenged Sephiroth and lived to brag about it."

"Alright, but what does Sephiroth being attacked by him have to do with us?" Riku frowned in confusion.

Yuffie sighed and lent against the ship railing. "Because Ansem stole the map we're trying to get. Now instead of having to chase after Sephiroth, we have to find Ansem. And we don't know anything about him or where to find him. At least against Sephiroth we had the advantage of _knowing_ him, but we're at a complete loss with Ansem." Yuffie's eyes darkened as she leaned forward conspiratorially. "They say Ansem has powers, abilities that no human should posses."

"He's a D.I.?" Sora's eyes widened in shock.

Yuffie however, shook her head. "Cloud's met him before and he swears on his life, Ansem is no D.I. I think I've heard Vincent deny it as well."

"But then how is he inhuman?"

"Don't know," the girl shrugged. "That's what's got everyone so freaked. We have to fight this guy if we want our map back, and we don't know anything about him."

* * *

No one saw much of Cloud and Leon that day and when someone did glimpse them, they both looked haggard and moody. Cid had told them that the two were trying to deduce where Ansem made his port and having no luck. It was mid-afternoon and Riku and Sora had finished their chores.

Sora stirred the water before him and the image he had been scrying faded away. "You know, I'm actually kinda glad that we don't have to face Sephiroth again, even if it's causing trouble for Cloud and Leon."

Riku glanced up from stretching (he had finally admitted that doing them helped) and studied Sora's face carefully. "Even if we did, you know I'd protect you, right?"

Sora blinked and smiled widely, his eyes still slightly glazed from scrying. "Yeah, I know." Riku nodded, satisfied that Sora believed him. "But…" The silver head looked back up. "I wish Vincent wasn't so loyal to him. He was really nice, I liked him a lot."

"He stood by and let you get raped," Riku snapped and Sora flinched.

"I know…he messed with my head a lot too," Sora admitted, which made Riku scowl. "But even so, I could sense that deep down, he's a good person."

"Hmph." Riku grumbled. "Good person or not, if we ever cross paths I plan to kill him along with Sephiroth."

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed. "Don't say things like that! Killing's bad!"

"Not in this case…"

Before Sora could scold Riku anymore, the two teens glanced up and saw Cloud watching them from a few feet away. "How long have you been standing there?" Riku frowned.

"Awhile." Cloud shrugged and stepped up next to Sora. "It's good to know you two aren't slacking off." Whether he was being sarcastic or not, neither teen could tell.

"How goes the Ansem problem?" Sora asked curiously.

"Ansem problem?" Cloud repeated, lifting an eyebrow.

"It's what the crew has started calling it," Riku explained shortly.

"We've figured nothing out," Cloud shrugged. "We're not even sure he's going to stop at any port or just head straight to Death's Pass.**(1)**"

"Death's Pass?"**(1) **Riku and Sora echoed.

"It's another name for the Straights, since so many people die trying to get through it."

Sora frowned at this new piece of information. "I've heard that name before…" Setting his small bowl of water aside, Sora jumped to his feet and dashed to his room, shouting that he would be right back. A minute later he reappeared with the map Shazou had given to Riku. He held it out to Cloud. "Is this where we're going?"

Cloud took the map and looked it over. Right at the edge in curvy writing were the words, "Death's Pass." Cloud blinked and looked from Sora to the map and back again.

"Yes…that's exactly where we're trying to get."

Sora beamed. "Great! You can use this then. We got it from a friend back home."

Cloud just continued to stare dumbly.

* * *

Leon couldn't decide if he wanted to hit the younger brunette or thank him for solving their problem. If Riku and Sora had had a map to the Straights this entire time, they could have said so and saved everyone a lot of time and trouble. He was too annoyed to care that neither boy had _known_ about the map leading them to the Straights, or "Death's Pass" as the map labeled it.

And there was another thing that annoyed Leon. What the hell was the point of naming the same place two different things? If everyone would just call it one damn thing, situations like this could be avoided. But _no_, that would be too easy and no one was willing to sit down and choose one name for one place like rational people. Idiots.

"Allow me…" Cloud spoke, walking up behind Leon and rubbing his shoulders, "…to make the decision for you. You are happy we have a map and don't have to hunt down Ansem. And to satisfy your annoyance, you will not say thank you to the boys, but simply carry on as if you had planned the whole thing yourself."

Leon grunted as Cloud found a knot in his shoulders and worked it out. "We would be there by now…"

"They didn't know," Cloud smiled. "This is the first time they've ever been away from Navy lands."

"That doesn't matter," Leon snapped. The knot in his shoulder disappeared under Cloud's talented fingers and Leon sighed in relief.

"At least we're on our way now."

"I am grateful we don't have to face Sephiroth again," Leon admitted.

"Why? You do not fear him."

"No," Leon caught Cloud's hand and kissed his palm. "But every time we cross paths with him, you always go running off and I am afraid you will not come running back."

Cloud stepped before his captain and knelt down. "I didn't realize I had ever failed to return."

"You were once lovers," Leon pointed out.

"I was once his slave as well; will you hold that against me too?" Cloud challenged. "I loved him once, and I had believed he loved me too. But I was wrong. And I'll admit there are times when that thought still haunts me."

"Do you still love him? Even in the slightest?"

"I don't know," Cloud shrugged, looking truly confused. "I suppose I will always love him, in a way. But only in the sense that he was my first. I love only his memory now."

"Good." Leon whispered and slowly leaned forward to kiss him.

* * *

"Ngh…Riku…"

"Sora…"

"We're supp…ah…supposed to be sleeping…"

"But I'm not tired Sora."

"But Cloud and Leon are gonna wake us up early tomorrow."

"You are incredibly sexy when you whine, you know."

Sora didn't answer as Riku sucked on a sensitive part of his neck, making him moan. They had retired to bed a few minutes earlier with the warning that Leon was going to wake them up early. Riku, though, didn't seem to care about that. He had practically jumped Sora the minute the two crawled into bed.

"Ah…Riku…" Sora squirmed. "Right there…" He panted in pleasure as Riku continued to kiss his way down Sora's chest, biting and kissing gently as he went. He stopped at Sora's belly button just long enough to swirl his tongue inside it before proceeding even lower.

Sora opened his eyes as Riku stopped. Blue clashed with green and Riku smiled charmingly. "May I?"

It was at that moment Sora began to cry. He tried not to, he really did, but the tears came unbidden to his eyes and flowed down his cheeks. Riku stopped his ministrations and looked at Sora completely confused. He had been enjoying himself moments again, what had happened?

"Sora?" Riku questioned. He scooted back up on the bed and hurriedly kissed his friend's tears away." What's wrong? Was it too much? I'm sorry, please don't cry." He continued to kiss him until Sora clamed down enough to speak.

"No-hic-it wasn't you, Riku," Sora assured him, offering a shaky smile. "I'm so sorry."

"For what?" Riku asked. "Sora, it's okay. If you don't want to, we don't have to. I won't push, promise. Just tell me what wrong."

"It's…I know it's stupid," Sora whispered. "But you look so much _alike_."

Sora burst into a fresh wave of tears as Riku's body stiffened. The older teen took a calming breath. He couldn't get mad at Sora for thinking like this. After all, he _did_ look a lot like Sephiroth and Sora _had_ been through something traumatic. It was a miracle the boy had bounced back as well as he had.

"It's okay," Riku assured. "I'm not Sephiroth. I never will be. I'll never force you. I swear."

"I know," Sora replied and looked up, meeting Riku's earnest gaze. "He never asked."

Riku smiled and kissed his nose. "I love you."

"And I'm in love with you," Sora replied.

"Let's go to sleep, we have to be up early in the morning."

Sora nodded and both made themselves comfortable, accepting the excuse as the reason why they stopped. Riku silently promised that he would let Sora make the first move next time. He would rather die a virgin then force Sora to do anything he wasn't comfortable with.

* * *

The next morning was an awkward one. Cloud and Leon kept avoiding each other's eyes while Sora and Riku had fallen into an uncomfortable silence. When they all split up for training, it was with an air of relief. All four men needed some time alone to think. However that time would not be granted to them.

"No, Sora, don't try to see _through_ the wall, try to see what's on the other side of the wall," Cloud corrected.

"Cloud, that makes no sense," Sora ground out. "How am I supposed to see what's on the other side of the wall if I don't see through the wall first?" Sora threw his hands up in frustration, allowing his eyes to slide back to a normal focus. "I give up, there has to be some sort of trick to this."

"If there is, then I don't know it," the pirate shrugged. "I'm sorry Sora, I'm not a seer. There's only so much I can teach before you need an actual Seer to take over."

"Does this mean I can a take break?" Sora tried, putting on a cute face and smiling charmingly.

"No. Use your sight for as long as you can," Cloud ordered, straightening from his position against the railing.

"But looking out at the water all the time is boring," Sora whined.

"The more you train your eyes in far sight, the longer you can look with it and the less your eyes hurt later." Sora opened his mouth to protest more but Cloud overrode him. "Deal with it."

Pouting, the brunette boy stomped off to the bow and proceeded to stare out at the water. He could hear Leon scolding Riku in the background because he was still focusing too much energy into his legs, leaving his arms weak and easy to disarm. Sora smiled slightly as he heard Riku cursing.

A movement out of the corner of his eye made Sora glance north. It couldn't have been a bird; they were in the middle of the ocean. Sora focused hard, squinting his eyes. It was barely visible, but it looked almost like a clear sail. As Sora watched, an entire ship began to take shape. It was so clear it looked like it was made out pure air.

Even as Sora watched, the ship began to darken and look more solid. Soon its features were colored in and its details perfectly clear. Sora glanced at the mast to see a flag flying high. His eyes returned to their normal state and even then he could still see the ship coming over the horizon. Sora scrambled to his feet and ran straight to Riku and Leon.

"Leon!" He exclaimed, skidding to a stop next to Riku. He would have stumbled if his friend hadn't steady him. "Leon! Ansem!"

Leon frowned deeply. "What about him?"

Sora gestured wildly in the direction he had seen the ship. "He's over there! I was just looking around and his ship suddenly _appeared_."

"Are you sure it's Ansem?"

Sora nodded vigorously. "Black flag with a yellow circled painted in the middle. I saw him once before when him and Sephiroth got into an argument."

"…Riku, go below decks and tell everyone to get up here and prepare for a possible fight." The silver haired teen glanced at Sora once before nodding to Leon and taking off without a word. Once he was gone, the pirate turned to Sora. "Go up to the crows nest and keep an eye on his ship," he ordered. "I want to know which way he's heading and if he comes closer to us."

"Um, okay," Sora agreed and ran off to do as he was told.

"Leon." Cloud appeared by his captain's side and the man gestured for him to follow.

"How far can Sora see?"

"I'm not sure. There aren't any landmarks for me to measure that with out on the ocean," Cloud replied swiftly. "Though I believe his sight would be equivalent to that if you were looking through a powerful telescope. Perhaps slightly better."

"Let us hope it is slightly better," Leon frowned. "I'm going to change our bearing to a north-western heading."

"Ansem has map to the Straights," Cloud pointed out. "Even if we change our heading now, we'll eventually cross paths with him."

"I realize that," Leon agreed. "But if we challenge him just before we reach the entrance to the Straights, then we can use it as cover should we need to retreat. We have the advantage of three D.I.s and, as far as I know, Ansem has none."

"Make us sound like possessions," Cloud muttered absently, thinking things through. "I'll get the crew ready, just in case we can't avoid him."

* * *

**(1) Death's Pass: How disgustingly cliché of me.

* * *

**

**A/N: Filler chapter, yet it gets things moving along (as my beta was kind enough to point out). I'm a bit iffy on the next chapter. I can't decide if I should have Leon and Sephiroth's groups fight, or Leon and Ansem's group fight, or through all three groups together and let them go at it in an all out pirate fight melee.**

**Yeah, that sounds fun…**

**Questions and Answers**

**Q: Are any characters from KH2 going to make an appearance?**

**A: A reviewer pointed out to me that I don't ever use KH2 characters in my fics. Well that's because everything of mine was started before KH2 was released. As for whether or not they're going to be in this story, I do want at least Roxas and Axel to show up. I'm planning, as of now, to introduce them when we reach the Destiny Islands.**

**Q: Whose side is Vincent on in regards to the D.I.s?**

**A: This is a good question. Cloud has made it very clear in the story that D.I.s are very loyal to each other, yet Vincent did nothing to help Sora when he was Sephiroth's slave. Vincent's past and his loyalties are confusing and I don't want you to know just yet. I believe in two chapters I'm going to tell you who/what Vincent is and how he ended up being with Sephiroth. So be patient till then.**

**Q: If outsiders aren't allowed on the Destiny Islands, and Cloud and Leon are lovers, what's going to happen to them when they get to the islands?**

**A: I love this question. And I am not telling the answer. You'll have to wait and see.**

**Q:** **If they will allow The Trapped inside if they go to the gates, how come none of them have already gone home?**

**A: Because! They don't know how to get there. See, the ONLY way to get to the Destiny Islands is through the Straights. Once you're in the Straights, D.I.s are then close enough to their home that they can just follow the "pull" of their home to get there. However none of the Trapped knows how to get to the Straights themselves and that is why they remain Trapped.**

**Please feel free to ask questions, I shall always answer them…unless they were answered in the story or previous Q&As…**

**BYE!**


	18. Pirate FreeForAll

**Chapter Eighteen: Pirate Free-For-All**

The next hours were spent in tense silent. The crew constantly glancing out at the water, but never seeing the ship they were supposed to be hiding from. Even with telescopes, there was nothing to see. Leon had altered their course slightly to be sure they couldn't see the enemy ship and the enemy ship couldn't see them. They were all relying on Sora's sight now to keep them safe.

The brunette hadn't been allowed to leave the crows nest the entire day. Riku had taken it upon himself to run food or extra clothes (it was cold up there) up to him when he wasn't needed on deck. He would sit with Sora as long as he could, but someone would eventually call him down to help with something.

A few hours before sunset found Sora closing his eyes and rubbing them. They were sore from the constant use and felt dried out. Riku appeared behind him, teasingly calling out a quiet, "Boo."

Sora smiled. "I'm starting to get worried my eyes are gonna get stuck this way if I keep this up."

"Look at it this way," his friend grinned. "They look cool, all glazed over and intimidating."

"The next time we see the guys I can scare them with it, I'll bet," Sora laughed at the mere thought.

Riku grinned as well, wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders. The two stared out over the water and Sora let his eyes slip close to rest them. Riku noticed this and chuckled, poking his side.

"Hey, you're supposed to be keeping a lookout," he reminded the younger boy.

"Eh," Sora grumbled. "I don't know why I have to sit up here, the stupid ship is always in the same place." He sat up and pointed at the water. "See? It's always…"

"Always what?" Riku pressed, but Sora ignored him and sat up, glazed eyes wide.

"It's gone. Ansem's gone."

Both boys were on their feet, Riku prepared to climb down the netting and warn Leon while Sora looked around desperately for the vanished ship. He couldn't see it anywhere.

"Maybe they just changed headings away from us?" Riku suggested.

Sora shook his head. "I don't know…" He turned in circle, looking all around them. Facing the opposite direction of where Ansem's ship had been, Sora saw something that made his blood freeze.

"Sephiroth…"

"What?" Riku demanded sharply. He glanced over his shoulder where Sora was staring, seeing nothing himself.

"It's Sephiroth's ship." Sora told him, panic rising in is throat. "Ansem's vanished and Sephiroth's appeared."

"Come on," Riku reached forward and grabbed his friend, helping him over the side. Together they hurried down the netting as fast as they could, Riku shouting for the crew below to get Leon and Cloud. The two men met them just as the teens jumped onto the deck.

"Ansem's vanished, but now Sephiroth is coming up behind us," Riku informed, not wasting anytime. The crew broke into whispers at the announcement.

"You said Ansem disappeared?" Cloud asked hurriedly. "Did he vanish or just sail out of your sight?"

Sora shrugged, looking upset and clinging to Riku. "I don't know. I was resting my eyes for second and when I opened them again to check on him, his ship was gone."

"And where is Sephiroth now?" Cloud continued.

"Coming straight behind us," Sora reported. "And he's coming very fast."

Leon pulled a telescope out of his pocket and looked where Sora indicated. He could see Sephiroth's ship perfectly, its sails at full mast heading on a collision course with them.

"Sephiroth must have made a copy of the map when he had it," Leon cursed. "It's a race now. Release all sails, man all weapons. Chances are Ansem will appear again. I want us as deep into the Straights as we can get before we have to fight."

The crew yelled in acknowledgement before running off to get ready for the upcoming battle. Riku shoved a sword into Sora's hand, smiling wickedly at the boy. "Suddenly I'm glad I couldn't say no to giving you those lessons."

Sora smiled shakily back, swinging the sword around. "Yeah, me too. Lead the way, I'll follow."

"Don't worry, I won't loose you," Riku glanced around quickly before ducking his head and kissing Sora lovingly. Sora laughed and pushed him away.

"We're about to get into a fight with a bunch of pirates, now is not the time."

"Really, seems like the perfect time to me." Riku pinched Sora's butt, making the brunette yelp in surprise.

"Damn it! I'd forgotten how perverted you get when we get into trouble," Sora grumbled.

Riku laughed. "Come on," he grabbed his boyfriend's hand and pulled him after him to prepare.

* * *

Sephiroth put his telescope away, staring coolly at the ship that was now visible without any help. Vincent stood a step behind him, his black hair waving calmly in the wind. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Cloud, Sora, and Riku, are on that ship," he reported. "Farther behind them is Ansem."

"I didn't see his ship."

"It may be too far to see, but I am certain he's there," Vincent stated. "Cloud's crew has already spotted us. Most likely Ansem has too."

"Ansem is not the type to get his hands dirty, he prefers others to do it for him," Sephiroth mused. "He will let us fight it out with Cloud's crew then attack just as the battle is about to end. We will be weakened from the first battle and not able to defeat him."

"Then it would be advisable to not fight at all," Vincent offered. "We should go directly into the Straights and perhaps even leave Leon's crew to fight Ansem."

"They have too great a lead on us. We will have no choice but to fight them to ensure they get no farther." He looked thoughtful. "Though I do wonder how they got this far. Ansem has the only map and we only arrived here by my memory."

"I do not know, Captain," Vincent replied. "But there is one more thing that must be considered."

"What is that?"

"Ansem has no Islanders on his ship, as far as we know," he explained. "And he can not go forward without one. I am sure he knows this."

"Even if he was foolish enough to attack us, he must know that controlling you would be impossible. You are loyal only to me."

"Of course. Then his only other options are Cloud and those two boys."

"Does he even know of them?"

Vincent frowned in thought. "He knows of Cloud, certainly. And he did come into contact with Sora once."

"Yes, the idiot puppy spotted that Navy ship and blurted it out."

"Sora's a child."

"He's an idiot." Sephiroth frowned. "Ansem will no doubt then attack Cloud's ship. He will aim for Cloud first, but then puppy and that silver haired boy–"

"Riku," Vincent supplied.

"–will undoubtedly make themselves known."

"Sora and Riku would be the easiest to capture and control," Vincent agreed. "We can not allow Ansem to reach my home."

Sephiroth quirked an eyebrow. It was rare for Vincent to call the Destiny Islands his home, as he had left them when he was young. It was a testament to his hatred of Ansem that Vincent would say such things.

"Then we must prevent him from capturing any of you. We will overtake the ship, capture Cloud, puppy, and the other boy. If we can not capture them, then kill them, but under no circumstances are we to allow Ansem to get any of them. Understood?"

"Yes Captain," Vincent agreed. "It shall be done." He swept away, issuing orders to prepare to fight.

* * *

"Still no sign of Ansem?" Leon asked Sora as he and Riku joined him at the helm.

"Nuh-uh," Sora shook his head. "I don't know what happened to him." He glanced at Sephiroth's ship, which was slowly gaining on them. "Can we outrun them?"

"No," Leon answered bluntly. "They will overtake us in mere minutes." He glanced at the scared looking brunette and suppressed a sigh. Leon really couldn't blame the kid for being afraid. "Just stay close to your friend and you'll be fine. With any luck we'll be able to escape to the Straights before they get close enough to bored us."

"Yeah…luck," Sora muttered, reaching for Riku's hand. His friend squeezed it reassuringly.

A loud bang was heard followed by a crewman's shout. "It appears Sephiroth doesn't want us to escape."

"What's he doing?" Cloud frowned, watching the canon ball fall into the water short of their ship. "He knows we're outta range."

"Not by much," Riku muttered, pushing his hair out of his face. The wind had started to pick up all of a sudden.

"He's firing again Captain!" Yuffie's voice called.

"Oh shit!" They heard Cid curse. "Take cover! That one's gonna hit us!"

Riku pulled Sora away from the side and ducked down. Cloud and Leon stepped away as well but made sure they could still keep track of the cannon ball. It hit the side of the ship, ripping off some paneling but not doing much more then that. The crew raced to return fire, but they were still out of range.

"Damn it how are they hitting us from so far away?" Yuffie cried. "That's so unfair!"

"Vincent," Sora and Cloud's voices spoke in unison. Cloud glared while Sora looked confused as to how he knew that.

"If you know another D.I. personally you can tell when they use a great amount of power," Cloud explained briefly. "Vincent is using his ability to manipulate the wind, giving the cannon balls greater range and speeding up Sephiroth's ship."

"Cause he can do that," Riku snapped sarcastically. "So now what? They can hit us, but we can't hit them."

"We have no choice," Leon growled. "Helm! All stop! Bring us around and prepare to fire! Aim for their cannons! As soon as we've taken out their weapons, get going again for the Straights!" The crew screamed a war cry as they prepared for battle, Cloud disappeared off to help. Leon turned and caught Sora's arm before the teen had a chance to leave. "Keep an eye out for Ansem, I believe he's still lurking about somewhere and hoping to sneak by while we're fighting. If you see him, tell me immediately. Understood?"

"Yeah," Sora nodded firmly. "I'll keep watching." He concentrated and squinted his left eye. After blinking a couple times, his left eye took on a glazed appearance while his right stayed normal. "Okay, I'm ready."

Leon stared at his eyes a moment before nodding approval. "If they get close enough to use guns, keep your head down."

He released Sora's arm and calmly walked to the helm, drawing his sword as he did so. Sora ran back to Riku just as the last cannon ball was loaded and prepared. Riku smiled at him, silently promising him everything would be okay and Sora couldn't help but smile back.

"Cannons ready?" Leon's commanding voice rang out. Cloud stood next to him again, staring intently at the oncoming ship.

"Aye Captain!" Yuffie yelled. "Awaiting your orders!"

"Hold until my command."

The crew stood at ready as Sephiroth's ship got closer and closer. They had stopped firing at them, presumably waiting until they were close enough to use the cannons without Vincent's help. As the crew started to fidget and get restless, Leon stood calmly, waiting for the right moment to attack. Sephiroth's ship was finally slowing down and the unnatural wind that had picked up was dying off as well.

Leon smirked coldly as he saw Sephiroth standing calmly by the helm of his own ship. Behind him was Vincent, looking a little winded but otherwise fine. The pirate crew stood mostly with swords and short range pistols; few stood at the cannons anymore. It was obvious now that Sephiroth had wanted them to stop and fight and planned to board them as soon as they were in range. Leon wasn't sure why, but there was no way he was letting that bastard onto his ship.

"Don't let them board," Leon stated clearly. Though he was talking in a normal leveled voice, everyone could hear him clearly in the pre-battle quiet. "Cannons prepare." Matches were struck and held to short fuses. "…Fire."

The crew covered their ears at the loud bangs. The cannons jerked back in their chains from the force of the blasts. Before the first wave had even hit, the pirates were shouting to prepare another one. Sora watched the cannon balls sailing towards Sephiroth's ship. Three hit their mark, but all others went wide or fell short. Holes were ripped into the sides, but when Sora looked at Sephiroth himself, the man hadn't even flinched at the impact.

"Incoming!" Yuffie's voice once again shouted the warning for incoming cannon balls. Sora felt Riku grab him and force him to duck as they were hit. The whole ship shook with the impact and across from the boys, one cannon was taken out, the crew members close to it sent flying.

"Shit," Riku cursed.

"Return fire!" Leon's voice rang out clear. The crew scrambled to obey.

"Vincent's doing something again," Sora informed Riku. Up by the helm, he could see Cloud telling Leon the same thing.

"That's just what we need," Riku replied sarcastically.

The wind suddenly picked up again, this time stronger then it had been before. Sora stumbled at the unexpected gust before catching himself. Everyone flinched from the harsh wind and those with longer hair were slapped in the face with it. When Sora looked up, the sails that had been at full mast were flapping viciously. The wind was forcing their ship closer to Sephiroth's.

"Pull up the sails!" Cloud's voice called out urgently. "Arm yourselves! Prepare to be boarded!"

"That's really not good," Riku grumbled. He turned to Sora. "Still got that sword? Excellent, don't loose that." He kissed him quickly before dashing up the netting to help pull the sails. Sora felt suddenly useless; he didn't know how to do anything to help out the ship. Leon had taught Riku because the physical work had helped with his training. The most work Sora had done on the ship was clean, some cooking, and serve as look out. He clenched his borrowed sword tightly in his hand as Sephiroth got closer.

Within mere minutes of the warning, they were boarded.

Sephiroth's pirate jumped across the gap with the aid of rope swings. The first few were cut down easily enough, but as the numbers grew, things got harder. Sora swung his sword with controlled movements, repeating everything Riku had taught him in his head to keep from panicking.

A thump from behind him had Sora whipping around, sword ready. Riku stood over a fallen pirate, chest heaving. His hair was messed up and he had a small cut on his cheek and larger one on his arm. He stepped over the dead man and pulled Sora slightly away from the fighting.

"You okay?"

"The cannons stopped," Sora had to yell to be heard.

"The ships are too close to each other now," Riku explained quickly. "Both ships would be hurt if we used them." A crash from above them sent people scrambling. One of Sephiroth's pirates had climbed the riggings and started cutting the sails loose. "Shit!" Concentrating, Riku bent his knees and leapt into the air.

"Be careful!" He heard Sora's voice call beneath him. Riku landed on the sail railings, wobbly only slightly. The pirate had been caught off guard by his sudden appearance so he was easy to take out. Riku knocked him down and watched as the pirate landed on Cid. The teen snorted with laughter as Cid groaned and started cursing loudly.

"Sorry Cid!" Riku called waving. Cid flipped him off and began taking his anger out on other enemy pirates.

"Toruko!" Yuffie called. Riku turned around and spotted the black haired girl fighting against some pirates. He moved to go help her but she stopped him. "Toruko! Sora!" She pointed in another direction before being engaged in fighting once again. Riku whipped around and felt his heart practically stop when he noticed Sora surrounded by five other pirates.

Without thought, Riku dove off beam he was standing and landed on one of the pirates surrounding Sora. He rolled to his feet and instantly felt the comforting presence of Sora at his back. The boys didn't even have to confer with one another as they dove back into the fight.

Sora bated the first pirate, staying in a defensive position as he stepped backwards to the ship railing. The pirate cackled evilly as he thought he had Sora trapped. The brunette's eyes flickered over his opponent's shoulder and Sora smirked. He placed his feet together and held up his sword, giving the pirate a clear shot. The idiot, thinking he had won, charged at Sora, who sidestepped him. He crashed into the railing growling. But before he had a chance to charge the brunette again, two of his crew mates, one right after another, slammed into him. The three fell over the side into the water.

"Happy swimming," Riku waved, casually leaning against the rail to admire his handy work.

"Left," Sora warned, also leaning casually against the railing. Riku swiftly dodged to his left and hit the fourth pirate on head, dazing him. Sora finished him off by pushing him overboard.

"Don't drown," the brunette singsonged.

"Right."

Sora dodged to his right at Riku's word and kicked out behind him. His aim was a little low and he ended up hitting the pirate where the sun doesn't shine. Sora flinched in sympathy as Riku hauled the pirate to his feet and threw the last one overboard.

"Sorry!" Sora called.

"Don't apologize, dummy," Riku scolded, grabbing his hand. "Let's go."

Riku moved to tug Sora after him, but Sora had frozen in place. "Sora?"

"LEON!" Sora screamed.

The older man wasn't that far away and heard Sora's panicked call. He cut down his enemy with disturbing efficiency. Looking towards Sora, he noticed Riku pulling his boyfriend away from the railing and Sora gesturing widely towards the sea.

Ansem had an appearance. And he was within boarding range.

"What the hell…?" Cloud appeared next to Leon's side. "How did he get there? We never saw anything."

"Take cover!" Leon shouted. He grabbed Cloud and threw them both to the deck. Ansem opened fire and a barrage of cannon balls hit their and Sephiroth's ship. Leon's ship took the brunt of the attack, since they were closest, but many of Sephiroth's men were killed.

Sora and Riku had been standing right where the cannon balls hit the hardest. They were both sent flying. Sora fell over the side, hitting his head on the ship's side as he did so. He was unconscious before he hit the water. Riku too, was sent flying. He was thrown into the ship's wall, or at least what was left of it. The impact knocked him out cold.

By the helm, Cloud groaned and pushed himself to his knees. Stray debris fell from his shoulders as he stood up. Leon was already standing, surveying the damage. He cursed quietly.

"Sora…Riku," Cloud ran forward, searching for the teens. He found Riku and saw Aerith already making her way towards him. Cid was supporting a battered Yuffie, both looked like hell. But as Cloud continued to search, he could find no trace of the youngest teen. Sora was gone.

"Cloud."

The blonde whipped around and sucked in a breath as he came face to face with Sephiroth's long sword.

"Sephiroth."

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud thought he saw Vincent jump overboard, but Sephiroth attacked and demanded all his attention. He and Leon never noticed Ansem's men appear and easily knock Aerith away from the injured Riku. And no one noticed that Vincent did not reappear over the side after he jumped off.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter screwed me up. I had everything all planned out, but made a stupid mistake. I put Riku in two places at once. In this chapter, Ansem kidnapped him, but in my plan, both Ansem and Sephiroth ended up catching him. So yeah, I made a boo-boo. Eh, it's fixed now.**

**The next chapter is going to be so much fun. I'm pretty sure I'm going to reveal Vincent's past and how he ended up with Sephiroth. And you get to see Ansem in is his evil pirate glory. I'm so excited.**


	19. Vincent

**Chapter Nineteen: Vincent**

Sora opened his mouth only to swallow water instead of the air he so desperately needed. He tried to cough but that just made things worse. His head was pounding, his body felt as hard as stone and twice as heavy. His limbs wouldn't listen to his commands anymore, even if Sora's mind wasn't too hazy to give them orders. He simply let himself drift in the water, slowly loosing conscious.

* * *

"Are you alive, little Sora?"

Slowly, Sora blinked his eyes open, flinching at the harsh sunlight. It was still bright out, but becoming night quickly. Forcing his muddled mind to think clearly, Sora's arms tightened around whatever he was holding. He turned to face the person who had woken him up.

"Vincent?" He whispered, his voice slightly raw.

"Yes." The dark haired man looked worse for the wear. His shiny black hair was soaked through. His cloak was gone, leaving him with only a ripped wet t-shirt and pants. The scarf he often wore to cover his face had disappeared along the way as well. "Are you injured?"

"I don't think so…" Sora offered. He shifted his body, surprised by how light he felt. Now that he was more aware, Sora realized they were floating in the water, both holding on tightly to a piece of driftwood. "Uhg, what happened?"

"You were knocked out and thrown overboard," Vincent explained calmly. "I managed to keep you from drowning, but the current pulled us into the Straights."

"Straights?" Sora said incredulously. "How did we survive? There supposed to be super dangerous for a ship! There should be no way two people on a piece of driftwood should be able to survive them."

Vincent offered the younger a small smile. "Sora the Straights we created for the single purpose of protecting the Destiny Islands and its people. We are Islanders, so these waters will not harm us."

"Oh," Sora muttered. "I didn't know that." His mind suddenly clicked and Sora turned to Vincent so quickly he almost lost his grip on the wood. "What happened to Riku? He was right with me! And Cloud, Leon, all the others?"

Vincent steadied Sora before answering. "The blast that knocked you overboard also hit Riku. I saw him land on the ship deck though, so I'm sure he's fine. And you need not worry about the others, Sephiroth was planning on taking prisoners."

Sora gave him a look that said he was about to cry. "'Cause knowing my friends are his prisoners makes things so much better!"

"Do not worry Sora," Vincent soothed. "They will not suffer the same fate you did."

"Shut up. Like you have any right to talk to me about what happened," Sora snapped.

"You're right, I do not," Vincent agreed. He glanced out at their surroundings. High, un-scalable cliffs surrounded them on all sides. The passageway they were floating through wasn't very wide, only allowing one large ship to sail through at a time. "You have power of the Sight, do you not?"

Sora stopped pouting and looked around as well. "Yeah…" He let one eye go unfocused while keeping the other normal. "I don't see anything but water and cliffs though."

"Hmm," Vincent nodded thoughtfully. "I have been in these waters only once before."

"You have?" Sora asked, looking curious.

"Yes, but it was long ago," Vincent frowned in thought, shifting his grip on the wood. "These waters were spelled to protect us, as I said before. And right now, we are in desperate need of help."

"Obviously," Sora rolled his eyes. "But what do you expect us to do? Ask the water?"

Vincent lifted an eyebrow at him. "That is exactly what I intend to do." While Sora just gave him a funny look, Vincent reached down to his leg and pulled a small knife from his boot. He brought it above water and ordered Sora to hold out his hand.

"…You're going to cut me, aren't you?" Sora hesitated, holding his fist to his chest.

"I am going to cut us both, yes," Vincent replied. "Fresh blood is the only way to prove to the water we are from Destiny Islands. Once the water is sure of that, it will help us to safety."

"…Vincent, you do realize this is water we're talking about, right?" Sora questioned. "It doesn't have a mind of its own."

"Hold out your hand Sora."

With a sigh, Sora did as told. "Why not? It's not like I have any better ideas."

Vincent cut a shallow cut into each of their palms before submersing their hands into the water. He whispered something under his breath that Sora couldn't catch, but finished with, "Please hurry." Their blood was washed away and, to Sora's surprise, so was any trace of the cut.

"How…?" Sora asked, staring at his hand.

"It is the water of the Destiny Islands Sora," Vincent replied. "It will not harm us."

With nothing more to say, they fell into a companionable silence. Sora's head was starting to hurt again and he was feeling dizzy. Before he knew it, he had lain down on the wood and fallen asleep. He would have slipped from the floating object numerous times if Vincent had not had the sense to stay awake and keep an eye on him. The water may not hurt them, but there was nothing it could do if they slipped under and drowned. It was only water, after all.

Hours later it was nighttime and the two still drifted. The sky glowed with thousands of stars and a full moon as Vincent fought not to fall asleep. Luckily for him, the water stayed warm instead of cooling, still trying to help its wayward children in anyway. Unfortunately though, Sora seemed to have developed a fever. His breathing had become more ragged as the hours passed by and they remained in the water. Vincent was unwilling to wake him to see if he could see something.

Midnight came and the moon was at its fullest. It was so large in the sky it felt to Vincent like they were completely surrounded by it. It was becoming harder and harder to stay awake. Sora's body had now gone completely limp next to him and Vincent was the only thing keeping him from falling into the water.

"Please, my protector," Vincent whispered to the water. "We are almost out of time."

He placed his head to rest on the driftwood and allowed his eyes to slip close. For awhile Vincent simply laid there, floating without weight. He almost lost his hold on Sora twice before catching him at the last second. Vincent was nearly asleep when he heard it.

The creaks of a hull, the sound of sails whipping gently in the wind; he thought he could hear voices as well. Believing himself to be dreaming, Vincent didn't bother to move until a light shone on his closed eyes and the voices became shouts. With great effort, he lifted his head and saw a ship angling itself next to them.

"Ahoy!" A man that Vincent's blurry eyesight would not allow him to see clearly called down at them. "The water says you need some help! Don't slip under before we get a chance to pull ya up!"

Vincent probably would have smiled at the sailor if he'd had the strength. Instead he focused on holding tighter to Sora and not falling asleep as the men lowered a rowboat to come get them. As soon as they pulled Sora into the boat, Vincent allowed himself to fall into the blessed sleep he so desperately craved.

* * *

Vincent woke instantly, his eyes snapping open with no trace of sleep in them. It was a habit he'd gotten into when he'd first began training to be an assassin. After a quick sweep with his eyes, he determined he was alone and in a small room with one other bed, unoccupied but obviously slept in. The small wounds he had sustained in the fight were bandaged nicely.

The door opened, but Vincent did not go on guard. He could sense the other person was a D.I. and therefore did not fear him. Instead he sat up slowly, not wishing to upset his head or stomach.

"Ah, awake are ye?" The sailor said gruffly. "I must say boy, you owe the water a thanks. We ain't never found ye if not fer her."

"I will pay my respects as soon as I can," Vincent assured him. "Where is my companion?"

"Sora?" The sailor laughed. "That littler feller woke up this mornin' and we ain't been able ter keep track of him since. He been runnin' 'round here like a kid in carnival."

"Then he is healed?" Vincent was relieved. "I was worried he'd came down with a fever from being the water too long."

"Ah, the water protects her own," the sailor nodded. "Our healers fixed him right up. Name's Duke, by the way."

"Vincent. Thank you for helping us."

"Ay, ain't nuthin'," Duke dismissed. He placed a bowl of soup he'd been carrying on Vincent's lap. "Eat that now. Once ye have I'll let ye up and hope ye can catch that brat."

Vincent smiled down at the food in his lap. See-fish soup, he hadn't had this since he lived on the islands. His grandmother had often made it for him before she died. "Thank you."

"Aye." Duke didn't say anything as he watched Vincent eat the soup, savoring every bite. Once he was finished, Duke took the bowl and set it aside, taking a seat on what was probably Sora's bed. "Now, what's your story, boy? Ye a half-breed, correct?"

Expecting the questions, Vincent did not bother to hide the truth. "Yes, my mother was from the islands but my father was from outside."

"Ye a Trapped then?"

"No, I left the Islands of my own violation." Before the man could ask after that, Vincent pressed on. "My reasons for such are private, I would be obliged if you left them alone."

"…Aye," He agreed. "What about that other boy? He is a Trapped if I ever met one, and met some I have."

"Sora is…a special case," Vincent agreed. "Until recently he did not even believe in the Destiny Islands, as most people on the outside do not. It was another Trapped that found him and one other boy and taught them of the Islands and their heritage."

"Explains why he asks the dumbest things, I suppose," Duke nodded. "He a powerful one, no doubt. Was it this other trapped who trained him?"

"I believe so," Vincent nodded. "You should ask Sora about that, he would give you an honest answer."

"Aye," Duke nodded once again, apparently thinking. "So if you left us of your own choosing, why now do you return?"

"Again, my reasons are private; please do not ask after them."

"Very well." Duke stood with a crack of his joints. "Go up deck then, the sun outside will do ya good. We'll arrive back home within a day and half journey."

Vincent bowed his head. "Thank you."

"Aye."

* * *

"Sora how do you expect them to answer your questions if you do not pause long enough for them to do so?" Vincent asked amused as he found Sora pestering some smiling sailors on the deck. The brunette boy whipped around with a cheesy grin. His head was bandaged, as was part of his arms, but he seemed fine otherwise.

"Vincent! You're awake! I was worried about you!" He bounced around, forgetting all the questions he'd been asking. "Are you okay now? Thanks for saving me."

"You owe me no thanks Sora," Vincent held his arm out in a gesture to follow. "Though we both owe thanks to the water."

"That's what the sailors told me, but I don't know how to thank water," Sora frowned, looking quiet confused.

"I'll show you." As Vincent led him away, he could hear the sailors whispering to each other about Sora being a Trapped. Though The Trapped were usually feared and mistrusted until they proved themselves, none of the sailors had felt that way towards Sora. The boy's insatiable curiosity and happy personality had led them to taking an instant liking of the spiky brunette.

They stood by the railing and Vincent pulled out two flowers and two folded origami palm trees. He handed one of each item to Sora. "Hold the flower flat in your palm and blow it onto the water." Sora did as instructed. "Now toss the palm tree into the air." Sora did this as well and laughed as a breeze swept up and took it away. "That is how we thank the water."

"The flower represents beauty of life and a wish for a peaceful death," Sora remembered Cloud's words from when they had performed the funeral ritual. "Why are we using one to say thank you?"

"Did Cloud tell you that?" Vincent asked. Sora nodded, watching the paper flower bob on the water.

"That is true," Vincent answered. "We give the flower to the water because flowers are a shared beauty. They live in both the ocean and on land. We are saying to the water that we are still connected even though we live on land."

"And the palm tree?"

"We are sharing it with the water," Vincent explained. "Sharing something that we have and love with something else."

"Cool," Sora smiled as the paper items were pulled under.

"And that means our thanks was accepted," Vincent smiled.

* * *

Later that night Vincent decided to abandon his normal reclusive behavior and sit with the sailors of the ship. It had been so long since he'd been amongst people from his own home, it was a peaceful feeling being with them now. Though Vincent was sure they all knew he was only half-blood, none of them gave any indication of it, which Vincent was very grateful for.

A lot of the day had been spent helping around the ship the best he could. Most of the time, however, was taken up with keeping Sora out of the way and answering the thousands of questions that came out of his mouth at lightning speed. It was a peaceful trip with the sailors singing numerous songs and laughing loudly with each other.

So when night came and all the duties had been finished, the men sat in groups with each other, eating the food they had left. Since they would be arriving at the Islands sometime tomorrow, they didn't bother on being conservative and ate everything they could get their hands on.

Sora left the group he had been listening to and went to find Vincent. The dark haired man was with some other sailors, looking content. Sora smiled at him; he had never seen Vincent interact with others unless he had to. It made Sora happy to know that Vincent was coming out of his shell. Hesitantly, the brunette made his way over to the group.

"Aye! It's the little Trapped child!" One sailor called out. Sora was pretty sure his name was Jack.

"Hi," he smiled nervously. "Um, I kinda had a question."

Everyone laughed loudly. "Obviously boy. You've had nothing but questions since you got here!"

Sora blushed brightly and laughed at himself with the sailors. "Sorry if I'm getting on your nerves."

"Not at all," Jack assured him. "Come, sit down and let us hear this newest question of yours."

Sora took a seat next to Vincent, looking oddly nervous. "Well, it's about the water."

"What about it?" Jack asked, passing over some soft bread. Sora bit into it before continuing.

"Well Vincent said its' meant to protect our people, right?"

"If you ask for it," the sailors nodded.

"Well, is there anyway I can ask it to protect my friend? His name's Riku and he's from Destiny Islands too! We were supposed to come here together but got separated and I wanted to ask if the water would protect him too."

"Sora–" Vincent began.

"Don't feed me that crap about prisoners, Vincent," Sora interrupted, glaring at him. "I don't care what you say. It's–it's–"

With a sigh, Vincent ruffled Sora's hair. "I know who it is, Sora. And I can guarantee he will not touch Riku."

"Maybe not like what he did to me!" Sora sniffled, rubbing at his eyes. "But Riku wants to kill him for what he did! And Riku doesn't know when to fight and when not to fight! He'll attack him and Sephiroth will kill him!" Vincent tried to argue, but Sora didn't give him the chance. "He doesn't need Riku. He's got Cloud, remember? So what's to stop him from killing Riku when he gets mad? I don't want him to die, Vincent. I love him."

Sora hung his head, his hair hiding his eyes. The sailors had lost their humor as they listened to the two arguing. As Vincent placed a comforting hand on Sora's head, Jack gestured for one of the men to go get something. He was back a minute later with numerous pieces of multicolored paper.

"All right kid," Jack said loudly, taking the paper. Sora scrubbed his eyes and regained his composure. He looked curiously at Jack and all the sailors now passing around the paper. "Now to ask the sea to give a friend protection, you got to perform a mini ritual. Like the majority of rituals in our culture, you start with a flower." He held up the piece of paper. "Now we're gonna show you how to fold it. The more effort you put into the ritual, the more serious your request is taken. Now follow what we do."

"Wait, you're all going to make a flower?" Sora asked. "I thought I was the one asking for a favor?"

"The more flowers you offer up, the more powerful your request," Jack explained. "You're a good kid, Sora. And if your friend is a Trapped as well, we don't mind askin' for him to be returned to us safely."

Sora smiled gratefully. "Thank you." His smiled widened. "Don't worry, Riku's really cool! He's totally worth the effort!"

The sailors laughed and began folding. Jack and Vincent showed Sora what to do and the brunette took care to get it right. He was the last one finished but held his flower up proudly. Compared to everyone else's, it looked more like a crumbled up piece of multicolored paper then an actual flower, but Sora didn't mind. He'd made it himself with all his hope and love for Riku, so he was proud.

"All right," Jack said, passing around some simple grey paper. "Now depending on what you're asking protection from, you fold the paper into different shapes. From physical harm, you make a broken sword."

"A broken one?" Sora asked.

"Yup, because you can't attack someone with a broken sword," Jack explained. "There are many different types of protection symbols depending on the situation. Since you're asking for all around protection, we'll just make a basic shield. Like this."

The shield was easier to make then the flower and Sora thought his turned out pretty good, even compared to everyone else's. Once they were done, Jack picked up both the items he had folded.

"Last part," he began. "Take a corner of the shield and petal of the flower and fold them together." Sora did so. "Good." He led the way the ship railing and the sailors lined up together, grabbing some buckets and pulling out some knives from their boots. They lowered the buckets into the water then dragged them back up.

"Now this boy's name's Riku, right?"

"Yup."

"Then place the flower and shield into the bucket," Sora and the other sailors did so. "Now, you offer up a little bit of your blood. You do this so the water knows you're not an imposter, but a true Islander. While you're doing that, ask whatever it is you want."

Sora nodded and held his hand out. He flinched slightly when Vincent cut it before putting it into the water. "Please protect Riku from whatever you can. Cloud too."**(1)** Sora was surprised when he took his hand from the water to see the cut was completely healed.

"Done? Buckets back in the water." Sora watched as the flowers and shields floated away from the ship before they were abruptly pulled under. He grinned widely and turned to Vincent.

"That means it was accepted, right?" He asked eagerly.

The sailors all whistled loudly and cheered as they went to tell their friends about what happened. Sora looked confused at their behavior and turned to Vincent and Jack questioningly.

"Ain't never seen the water take to a request like that," Jack explained. "So quickly, and it took every flower we made too." He patted Sora on the shoulder. "If that Riku of yours makes it to these seas you can rest assured he'll be well protected."

Sora grinned, feeling more hopeful then he had in a long time.

* * *

Later that night, after everyone but the helmsman and lookout had gone to bed, Sora made his way to the bow of the ship. Vincent was on the sitting on the edge, staring out at the water. Sora joined him.

"Are you enjoying yourself, little Sora?" Vincent asked, surprising his friend.

"Yeah, I am," Sora answered. "But I bet it would be way better if Riku was here with me."

"Your love will find his way back to you, I'm sure."

Sora smiled, slightly sadly. "That's a romantic thing to say." He looked out to the water. "I gave up everything to come here. We left Kairi, Tidus, Selphie, Wakka, our home, our village. This is the second time in my entire life I've been separated from Riku. I know Destiny Islands is my home, and maybe I'll even be able to find out who my parents were, that would neat."

"But?"

"But…I'm worried that what I gain isn't going to equal what I gave up. Everyone makes the Islands sound like a paradise on Earth, but everywhere has its problems. And both you and Cloud left them, so that proves that." He rubbed at his eyes. "It is worth it, right? Coming here is worth everything we gave up?"

Vincent turned towards Sora, staring him earnestly in the eye. "That is all a matter of opinion. But in my opinion, yes, it is worth it."

"Then why did you leave?" Sora pressed. "Cloud said you're not a Trapped, you left on your own."

"I did. But those are my reasons, Sora."

"Will you tell me? Please?"

Vincent shook his head, but even as he did so, he began speaking. "Has Cloud told you what half-breeds are?"

"Kids that have an Islander parent and an outsider parent."

Vincent nodded. "Yes, and that is what I am." Sora blinked at him in surprise. "My father was an outsider and my mother was from the Islands. My father was one of the very few outsiders allowed to live on the Island with my mother because of her political status." He glanced at Sora and saw the brunette hanging off his every word. Hiding a smirk, Vincent continued.

"I was eight when the proverbial gates were closed. My father wasn't allowed to stay on the Islands, no matter how influential my mother was, so he was sent away."

"Did you go with him?" Sora interrupted.

"No, my father wasn't all that interested in kids. He always thought of me as my mother's child, not his."

"Oh," Sora's face fell. "I'm sorry."

Vincent ruffled his hair. "After that my mom tried to continue on as normal. But Sora, when our people fall in love, it's almost always for life. We are what most would refer to as, a romantic people. My mother tried, but she fell sick from a broken heart and died not even a year later."

"I'm sorry, that must've been hard."

"My mother always thought of my as my father's child. She never really had any interest in kids either."

"But you just said…oh. Ouch. It's parents like that that make me glad I'm an orphan. But wait, who took care of you?"

"My grandmother did," Vincent smiled at her memory. "She was a beautiful woman and always there for me. My grandfather too, was like my best friend. They both loved me dearly and I loved them. It was after they died that I left the Islands when I was eleven." He sighed.

Flashback

"There's that little boy, the half-breed."

"Shh, he'll hear you!"

The whispers followed him everywhere he went.

"Poor thing, his grandparents just died you know."

"Mother's dead too, and his outsider father might as well be as far as he's concerned."

It wasn't that they were mean, or at least, they weren't trying to be mean.

"He's got nowhere to go. No family left and who's going to take in a half-breed child?"

"It's the parents fault, not the child's. There's nothing wrong with being a half-breed."

"There is when someone else has to raise it. How are you supposed to help or understand a child with such a taint?"

They just didn't realize how much those words hurt.

"The poor dear, he never asked for this fate."

* * *

"Are you going somewhere, Vincent?"

"…I'm leaving the Islands. I'm going to go try and find my father."

"But Vincent–"

"I don't want to live in an orphanage the rest of my life."

"Hunny you just have to give it time! Someone will take you in soon, they always do."

"They always take in normal kids. No one wants a half-breed who doesn't even have a special ability."

"Vincent please…"

"Goodbye Madam Marian. Thank you for all the help you've given me."

"Vincent wait!"

The door slammed shut and Madam Marian never saw Vincent again.

* * *

The port was bustling with people. They were running all around, bumping into each other without bothering to apologize, screaming and shouting with one another. Vincent had never seen such obvious violence in a public place. On the islands if you wanted to fight, you went to the training grounds and had at it. You didn't punch a guy into the water in broad daylight.

The eleven year old carefully maneuvered his way through the crowded streets of the Jungle Port. This was where he had managed to track his father. If Vincent was honest with himself, he wasn't all that interested in finding his long lost dad; he was just desperate for a purpose. And the only purpose he could think of to be on the outside was his father.

It wasn't long before he had left the small town and began following the road into the jungle. The houses became sparser and farther apart as he walked. The noise of the town got quieter and quieter until it was silenced altogether. Just as the road was beginning to wear out, Vincent came upon a house tucked away in the woods. It was beaten up and covered in Jungle overgrowth.

Vincent carefully made his way up to the house and knocked on the door. It opened by itself and the teen frowned. The inside was just as beat up as the outside, it looked like no one had lived in the place for a few months at least. Stepping all the way inside, Vincent found his father.

The man had obviously died a long time ago. His flesh was rotting in the intense heat and maggots and bugs crawled all over him. There was a sword in his stomach that pinned him to the floor, clearly the cause of death. Not only was his father there, but a woman who was completely naked huddled in the corner. Gathering his courage and being very thankful he had no money to get food earlier, the teen made his way over to the woman. He placed his hand on her shoulder.

The blonde screamed and jerked away, scaring the crap out of Vincent who fell back. They stared at each other and Vincent couldn't help but notice that this girl looked a little like his mother had when she was younger.

"Who are you?"

She spoke with such a soft voice that Vincent almost didn't hear it. "Vincent. I am…or was, his son."

Her eyes widened in fear and she curled away from him. "Please…oh god please. I'm not Ella! I don't even know who Ella is! Please don't touch me please…" She broke down into sobs and incoherent pleas. Vincent looked at his dead father then back to the girl.

"Did you kill him?" He asked.

She screamed and hid her face. "Yes! I couldn't take it! I couldn't take it! I'm not Ella!"

"Ella was my mother's name," Vincent told her, confused about what was going on.

The girl stopped crying and looked at Vincent with dead, haunted eyes. "Your mother? That's why he made me suffer like this? Because of your mother?"

Vincent opened his mouth and closed it uselessly. He didn't know what to say or do; he had never faced something like this back home. He had heard of the extremist crimes the outsiders committed, but he had always thought it was exaggeration. The girl uncurled from the ball she was in and leaned towards the scared teen.

"Kill me."

"What?!"

"Kill me. It's your father and your mother, right?" She growled, tears beginning to fall down her face. "So you owe me. I don't want to live. Not after this, not with these memories. Kill me."

"I can't–"

"Do it!" She screeched and hit him. "Repent for what he did to me! Kill me!"

Vincent held his cheek as the girl scrambled to her feet and went straight to a drawer. She pulled out a kitchen knife and ran back to Vincent. Forcing the knife into his hand, she placed the blade directly before her heart.

"Kill me," she whispered.

Vincent shook his head and tried to move away but the girl wouldn't let go. "Kill me." She kept repeating this, each time holding his hand a little tighter and speaking a little louder. Vincent never looked away from her dead eyes, even as her voice grew more expressive and angry, her eyes always stayed dead. Finally she was screaming in his face, holding his hand so tightly it hurt.

"Kill me, kill me, KILL ME!"

He plunged the knife into her heart as fast and hard as he could. Blood bored over them both and the girl finally stopped shouting.

"Thank you."

Her body went limp and Vincent let go of the knife, allowing her to fall over dead. He looked once more into her eyes and could not tell the difference between her now dead ones, and the ones she had looked at him with when she begged him to murder her.

Vincent ran from the house as fast as he could and never once looked back.

* * *

Two moths later found the teen living on the streets. He thought about going back home, but he had no way to get there on his own and there was no way in hell Vincent was going to lead these…creatures to the Islands. After living with them for so long, seeing the way they treat others and some of the things they do even to themselves. Vincent understood now why his people feared them. Why they didn't want to put up with him.

So many men and woman had offered to pay for his body. Too many had tried to take it when he refused them. No one would give him food; he had to resort to stealing. Any job he managed to find never last more then a week before the boss tried to sleep with him or sell him off as a whore.

He had to learn to fight and protect himself. Vincent met many other kids in his position, but none of them were interested in being his friend or working together to try and get better lives. The life they lead had beaten them; they were all nothing more then empty shells; existing, not living. They had been beaten.

Vincent was loosing his battle.

The dark haired boy stuck to the alleys of Wonderland. He stood out in the posh, perfect town run by an insane queen so he had no choice but to hide in darker parts of the town. He was heading back to the abandoned building he'd found when he first came to Wonderland so that he could rest before moving on. There would be a cargo ship arriving tomorrow and Vincent was done with this place.

Just as Vincent was climbing to the second floor where he'd made himself a temporary home, he saw movement down beneath him. The dark haired boy froze on the worn out ladder and watched as two men entered the alley. They were too far away to hear, but Vincent didn't take any chances and remained still. Not even a minute after they arrived, one man killed the other.

Vince didn't move from his spot on the old ladder. He gripped it tighter in his hands and hoped the assassin didn't look up. As fate would have it, it didn't matter if the man looked up or not. Vincent held a little too tightly to the rusted out wood, making the rung snap. With a slight yell, Vincent lost his grip and fell.

The dark haired boy groaned as he sat up. A bloody knife was already at his throat, preventing him from moving too far. He glanced up at the man, keeping still.

"Who are you?" The assassin asked calmly.

"Vincent."

"Did you see what just occurred here?"

"No."

The man smirked darkly. "Do not lie. I can smell a lie."

Vincent didn't know what to say so he kept quiet.

"Are you a street whore?"

Suddenly Vincent didn't care if this man was a murder and would probably kill him without a second thought; he wanted to be somewhere else. Whenever they asked if you were a whore, it didn't matter whether you were one or not, they were going to treat you as one anyways.

Vincent kicked him, catching the man off guard enough to get the knife away from his throat. He scrambled for the ladder, having an escape route out the back of the building. He only got three rungs up before the assassin was in front of him, sitting calmly on the ledge leading to his window and cutting off Vincent's escape plans.

He didn't bother to question how the man got up there, he just let go and this time managed to land dignified on the ground. He tried to run; the assassin was far quicker and in front of him again. With both his openings closed and a dead end behind him, Vincent was effectively trapped.

But he wouldn't be caught. He would kill himself before he let a complete stranger touch him. Vincent had no weapons or means to do that and the assassin had him pinned in a corner. The man smirked, lifting a hand to brush his cheek and the black haired boy flinched away. He knew he had to fight back, but his arms were pinned and the man was too strong to push away.

The man forced a kiss on him and Vincent bit him the best he could. Instead of stopping the man, it just seemed to encourage him. The teen didn't know what to do, he couldn't fight back but he couldn't just stand here and let him touch him. A pressure built up in his stomach in response to Vincent's desperation. He closed his eyes tightly and let whatever the pressure was go.

The next thing he knew, the assassin was on the ground ten feet away. Vincent shoved his shirt down hastily and grabbed his hair, putting it back in his customary ponytail. The man was still but Vincent was still cautious as he approached him. His eyes were closed and not moving. Slowly, the teen walked past him. He made a dash for the alley exist, but once again was stopped.

The assassin caught his foot and tugged him to the Earth. Vincent kicked and punched, but the man pinned him down with his body and placed the knife at his throat again.

"You're a strong, boy," he said. "And as beautiful as any woman."

"Touch me and I'll cut off your balls and leave you to die," Vincent hissed with more courage then he felt.

"And a temper too," the assassin laughed and stood up, pulling Vincent to his feet as well. "You will make a good assassin."

Vincent was knocked out cold before he had a chance to say no.

* * *

"This is Sephiroth," the man who had taken Vincent and forced him to learn the assassin trade introduced. "You will see to his every comfort while he is here."

"Of course," Vincent muttered, his voice holding no emotion. "This way." He led the man to a room and bowed the door open. "Your room sir. I'll bring your dinner shortly." Sephiroth nodded curtly and Vincent left for the kitchens. He picked up the food from the servants and calmly walked out. When Vincent was sure there was no one around to see him, he took out a vile of poison and sprinkled it on the meal. The deadly substance looked like nothing more then seasoning.

"Your dinner, sir," Vincent bowed and placed the food on the table top. Sephiroth nodded at him without a word. But as Vincent was leaving, he spoke.

"What is your age?"

"Thirteen sir."

"How long have you been in this guild?"

"…Almost two years, sir."

"So then I am your first kill."

Vincent's body stiffened and he turned to look at the man sitting calmly on the bed. "Excuse me, sir?"

"That," he gestured to the food. "Is poison, not seasoning. When you are as powerful and feared as I am, you must learn the difference to survive."

"I assure you sir, it is not poison," Vincent insisted.

Sephiroth gestured at the plate. "Then you shall have no qualms testing it for me."

Vincent stared at the poisoned meal. The assassin (he had never learned his name in the two years he had served him) had always been sure to keep a close eye on Vincent and not let him "accidentally" kill himself. Being seen as nothing more then a slave, a means to an end, had finally been what beat Vincent. Just like all the other children he had once known, he had lost his fight and was ready now to stop living. With confident steps, he made his way to the food and picked up the silverware.

Sephiroth's tight grip stopped him from placing the food into his mouth. "If you wish to commit suicide, do not do so in my presence." Sephiroth threw the food away. "Leave, and tell your master that I summon him."

Hours later, Vincent was laid out on his floor, covered in bright red blood. He gasped air in painfully and could no longer stand. The assassin stood over him; whip in hand, glaring at the boy.

"I took you in to become an assassin," he hissed. "Not to get cold feet at the last moment and give yourself away."

"You took me in because you wanted something pretty to knock around," Vincent spat.

Two more hours of whipping and the assassin finally stopped. Vincent was barely conscious as he lay on the floor.

"Now, the next time I tell you to kill someone, you will do it," the assassin ordered. "Clean yourself up. You will offer your body to Sephiroth and kill him once he falls asleep."

* * *

"I hope you have enjoyed your stay with us, sir," Vincent greeted Sephiroth with a low bow, flinching at the pain in his back.

"I have not seen you anywhere," the pirate commented off handily. "I had thought you'd been killed for your failure."

"Punished only, sir," Vincent assured, not bothering to lie. He stepped forward into the room and shut the door. "I must apologize for my deceit."

"I care not," Sephiroth dismissed.

"But I wish to apologize sir," Vincent forced the words from his mouth, trying not think about what he was about to do. "And since I have no money to give you, perhaps I may thank you in other ways?" He idly played with the man's long silver hair, bringing it to his lips seductively.

Sephiroth stared at the small child, frowning. He pulled his hair back and grabbed his sword. "This place will burn tonight. If you want live, you may come to my ship and be my slave. If not, run now or die." He swept past the surprised boy. Vincent turned around and impulsively grabbed his cape.

"Wait!" Sephiroth turned to him. "Why tell me this?"

"Because I do not want you."

The cape slid through Vincent's fingers as Sephiroth left. No one had ever denied him before. Everyone he had ever met wanted his body. But this man, not only had he not punished Vincent for trying to kill him, but he did not take him either. He gave him the choice, join him, or run free. Never, not even when he had lived on the Islands, had someone given him his own choice. There was no right or wrong answer, no pressure about what to do, no concern about his blood or what others thought of him. No, this was his own choice and the only thing that mattered was what Vincent wanted.

* * *

"Why are you here, little assassin?" Sephiroth asked with his back to Vincent. He stood on the deck of his ship, watching as the town before them was engulfed in flames.

Vincent smiled to himself and stood straight. "Because you don't want me."

Sephiroth lifted an eyebrow at the smiling boy. "Find yourself a place to sleep, and clean yourself up."

"Of course, Captain."

End Flashback

Sora didn't say anything for a long time after Vincent had explained his story. The man was, for once, uncomfortable with the quiet. This was the first time he had ever told his story to anyone; not even Captain Sephiroth knew the entire thing. But Vincent didn't regret sharing his secrets. He had carried them around for so long and he trusted Sora not to judge.

"…I don't get it Vincent," Sora finally spoke. He met his gaze. "You know what it's like, but you let him touch me?"

Vincent looked very sad and sounded guilty as he answered. "It is in those moments that I hate Sephiroth more then anything. But Sora, I do not expect you to understand. I have willingly sworn myself to him, no matter what, and for more reasons then what I have told you." He brushed Sora's bangs from his face. "I know there can be no forgiveness for what I have allowed happen to you and that is why I will protect you always as well."

"Except from Sephiroth?" Sora pointed out. Vincent smiled sadly and did not respond.

Sora nodded, grateful that Vincent didn't lie to him; that he had the decency to tell him the truth and hold nothing back. Though it may have been out of some twisted sense of obligation Sora still appreciated it. With a sigh, he leaned his head on his older friend's shoulder.

"You're right," he muttered, letting his eyes close. "I can't forgive you Vincent. But I can forget."

"Sora–"

"So consider it forgotten," Sora interrupted firmly. "On the Islands, we'll start again."

* * *

**(1)** He only asks to protect Riku and Cloud because they're the only D.I.s. Everyone else isn't, so the water won't protect them.

* * *

**A/N: Personally, I think I went a little overboard on this chapter. But I've been messing with it for so long I just got fed up and said it's getting posted as is. I'm pretty sure I did corrections on it at one point but after all the changes I'm not sure what state the grammar is in now. So if it's atrocious, shoot me. If it's one or two little things, shoot yourself. No no, I'm kidding, don't do that.**

**(Sigh) I'm going to be done talking now. Next chapter shows what Cloud and them are up to and what happened to Riku and Ansem makes his formal appearance in the fic. Roxas and Axel won't be making an appearance for another two, so be patient with them.**

…**You ever notice that when someone says something like "I'm done talking" or "Let's not talk about this anymore" they keep talking? I have a nasty habit of doing that. Sorry.**

**Staryday**


	20. Ansem

**Chapter Twenty: Ansem**

Riku blearily opened his eyes, groaning in pain as he did so. His head was throbbing and his body was so sore he couldn't move without flinching. The room he was in was dark and bare; there was nothing but a table, bed, and one chair. The constant rocking motions proved he was still on a ship; the only question was whose ship it was.

Riku tried to sit up but fell back down when the pain in his head doubled. He moaned and bit his lip, waiting for the world to stop spinning. When it finally had, he opened his eyes again and blinked in surprise. A little black thing with antennas and yellow glowing eyes was staring at him from the floor. It twitched and swayed like a shadow and was completely black.

"What the hell?" He muttered, looking at the strange creature. "What are you?"

The thing didn't answer as the door to the room opened. Riku glanced towards it and saw a man with white hair and auburn skin enter. The creature made a soft clicking noise and disappeared into the floor. His head began to hurt even more and Riku couldn't bring himself to sit up any longer. The man stepped into the room and calmly placed a bowl of water on the bedside table. Wetting a rag, he placed it on Riku's burning forehead.

"Who are you?" Riku tried to ask, but his voice was slurred with pain. His vision was beginning to fade out of focus.

"Shh, rest now," the man said soothingly. "We shall speak when you are better." He stood to leave.

"Wait!" Riku croaked out, reaching for the stranger. "Sora…"

"Rest."

Against his will, Riku's eyes slid close. He heard the door shut behind the man before falling sound asleep again.

* * *

"Nice job dumb ass!"

"Shut up Yuffie, now is not the time," Cloud snapped at her.

"Well it's not like we have anything better to do, being tied up and all!" She spoke loudly, ensuring that everyone could hear her. They were all tied to the deck of what was left of Sephiroth's ship while the pirate ordered his remaining crew to began fixing things up.

Leon and Cloud had been forced to surrender their fight with Sephiroth when enemy pirates grabbed Yuffie and Aerith and made them hostages. Cid was still unaccounted for, which worried everyone since they had lost track of him during the fighting. Cloud couldn't sense Riku or Sora anywhere near them and whispered to Leon that Vincent had vanished as well.

Yuffie continued cursing angrily under her breath and Cloud sighed, leaning back against the wall. Next to him, Aerith stirred and opened her eyes, looking blearily at Cloud. The blonde smiled in relief at her.

"You feeling alright?"

"My head hurts, but nothing major," she replied. "Where are we?" Her eyes widened and she sat up quickly. "Oh no! Cloud! Riku, Ansem's men took him!"

Cloud grimaced and looked away. He figured that was what had happened since the boy wasn't anywhere near them and Sephiroth wasn't gloating about having killed him.

"He's not dead, at least."

"How can you tell?" Aerith asked.

"I just know," he shrugged. "It's a D.I. thing." He added teasingly. Aerith still looked worried as she bit her lip.

"We have to do something," she insisted. "We can't leave those boys to Ansem, there's no telling what will happen to them!"

"I know Aerith," Cloud answered. "But we're a little tied up right now."

"Literally," Yuffie hissed.

"So let's fix that, shall we?"

"Cid!" Yuffie nearly cackled with delight. "You're alive, you old bastard!"

"Watch you're language, girl," Cid snapped. The man was beat up and had a thick trail of dry blood running from his forehead. His clothes were torn and he was covered in cuts and bruises, but moving around easily enough.

"What happened?" Leon demanded as his crewman began to cut him free.

"Got knocked overboard by one of those fucking cannonballs," Cid explained gruffly. "Damn near drowned. I managed to climb up the side of the ship and get us some weapons," he gestured to a sack near them. "Then I waited for the coast to be clear and came to untie you."

Cid moved onto Cloud as Leon reached for the weapons bag. "Do you know the status of our ship?"

"Destroyed," Cid answered. "Only good for salvaging parts now."

"How are we supposed to chase Ansem without a ship?" Cloud asked, helping to untie the girls.

"We'll figure something out," Leon replied. He tossed the others their weapons. "Cid, was anyone else taken prisoners?"

"I think some of our men are down below."

"Let's free them first," Leon ordered. "Come on."

They snuck quickly to the bottom levels, knowing it wouldn't be long before someone saw them missing. Leon led the way to the brig and took out the single guard watching them. Out of the fifty or so men of their crew, only eleven were left, including Leon and the others. They freed their crew and headed back up top.

"Now what?" Cloud whispered to Leon as they observed what was happening on deck.

"There's not much we can do," Leon answered. "We have no ship and this is what is left of our crew."

"We can't just sit here," Yuffie growled. "I say we ambush them and toss everyone overboard. Take the ship for ourselves!"

No one said anything since they didn't have any other ideas. The pirates looked to Leon for a decision. The captain thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"We don't have enough people and can't risk those we do have," he mused. "I want you to all wait here. If I call you, attack without hesitation. Cloud, Aerith."

The two followed Leon onto the deck as he made straight for Sephiroth. The pirates finally noticed them, but Leon kept walking until he was face to face with the other captain. They stared each other down and it was Sephiroth who spoke first.

"What do you want?" He asked, completely uncaring of the fact that his prisoners had escaped.

"A ship," Leon stated and raised his sword. "And since ours is destroyed, yours will have to do."

Sephiroth stared at him in contempt. "If this ship is sea worthy, why am I still here?"

Leon studied the man before lowering his sword. Behind him, Cloud and Aerith shifted uncomfortably. "Ansem has defeated us both."

"So it would seem," Sephiroth growled. "I have barely any men left and not enough to sail a ship, especially a half destroyed one."

"Are you suggesting a truce, _Captain_ Sephiroth?"

Sephiroth glared at him. "More of a trade. Vincent has left me."

Cloud started in surprise. "Left you?"

"To save puppy," Sephiroth answered, staring at Cloud. The blonde glared in disapproval at the name. "If he was capable of returning he would have done so by now."

"He's not dead," Cloud said firmly. "And neither is Sora."

"How wonderful for them," Sephiroth dismissed. "Shall we trade then?" He turned back to Leon.

"I am not giving you Cloud to replace Vincent," Leon stated clearly.

"Then perhaps you'll let us borrow him? I will order my men not to touch your crew and allow you to stay on board, but in return Cloud will lead us to the Destiny Islands."

"Absolutely not!" Cloud denied venomously.

"You said yourself you have few crew left," Leon retorted. "Why don't I just order my crew to kill yours and take the ship for ourselves?"

Sephiroth said nothing but turned to look at Cloud. The blonde glared, "You can't. This is Sephiroth's ship and only he can command it while he's still alive."

"What?" Leon demanded.

"…I put a spell on this ship when I was…still here," Cloud explained. "It's a common spell amongst the sailors of my people. They cast it so that only the captain and his chosen first officer can sail the ship. It was supposed to prevent against pirates or thieves."

"How ironic," Aerith sighed.

"So then do we have a deal?"

"No!" Cloud interrupted. "I'm not leading you to my people."

Leon grabbed Cloud's arm and pulled him a few steps away, Aerith following. "We don't have a choice, Cloud."

"Leon they're my people! I can't put them into danger by bringing someone like Sephiroth to them."

"Is there any way around that spell of yours?" Aerith asked. "You said as long as Sephiroth is alive, what if we killed him?"

"Then the spell would make Vincent captain and transfer to him," Cloud muttered. "Leon I can't!"

"Vincent and Sora are probably already there," Leon pointed out, surprising Cloud. "It's the only place they could escape to without being harmed. And Ansem took Riku, so his final destination is most likely the islands too. If you want to find the boys that is where you have to go."

Cloud looked away. Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "Aren't all of your people really strong? When we get there, we'll just ask them to arrest him."

Cloud didn't smile at her attempt to joke but nodded his head in agreement. Leon squeezed his arm in an attempt to comfort before returning to an impatient Sephiroth.

"We accept your trade."

He held out a hand and Sephiroth shook it.

* * *

Riku opened his eyes and found he could move and think without the least bit of pain. He sighed in relief and sat up, noticing he was still in the unfamiliar room. Riku stretched his stiff arms and stood up. His legs felt like they hadn't been used for awhile and Riku had to take a moment to stretch them out too. When he felt able to walk without limping, Riku made his way to the door. He tugged at the door handle and found it locked. Frowning, he pulled harder, but with not luck.

He was about to try and kick it in when he felt eyes watching him. Turning around, Riku was surprised to see the same small black thing from earlier. It was swaying back and forth and making those odd clicking noises. Slowly, Riku approached it and knelt down.

"What are you?" Riku asked it. He reached out a finger and poked it. The thing jerked and Riku started. It was cold and smooth to the touch. It reminded him of the morning fogs back home that he and the other kids would sometimes wake up early just to run around in. "Weird…"

The creature started clicking loudly and vanished into the floor before Riku could stop it. The lock on the door clicked and he turned around just as the man from earlier entered. He looked surprised that Riku was up and about but quickly smiled.

"I see you're awake," he said, his voice sounding seductive and smooth. "Are you in anymore pain?"

"No," Riku answered, standing. "Just a little stiff. Who are you?"

"My name is Ansem, I am captain of this ship."

Riku took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He had suspected that. "Why am I here?"

"I rescued you, dear boy," Ansem gestured for Riku to sit on the bed while he took the chair. "You would have died without help."

"Uh, you were the one who shot us," Riku pointed out.

"My apologies," Ansem inclined his head. "I was aiming for Sephiroth and his crew. You just got in the way." Riku glared at him. "After I had realized what had happened I had my crew bring you back to me ship so that you could be protected."

"What about Sora?"

"Who?"

"The boy who was with me. Brown spiky hair, blue eyes. He's kinda hard to miss."

Ansem shook his head. "I found only you."

"Well what about my friends? Sephiroth's crew wasn't the only ones fighting there," Riku demanded.

"I didn't care about any of them. If they killed each other it's their issue not mine," Ansem shrugged.

"Well why the hell do you care so much about me then?" Riku yelled, getting angry.

"Because D.I.s take care of their own."

Riku stared at the sudden announcement. "You're a D.I.?"

"Yes," Ansem nodded his head and waited while Riku absorbed the information.

"Cloud knows you, he swears you're not one of us."

"And what do you think about that?"

Riku thought about it. He had never been able to tell if someone was a D.I. or not, so he couldn't tell now if Ansem was lying. But he was more inclined to trust Cloud than this pirate captain. However the man had saved his life, for whatever reason. It couldn't hurt to give him a chance.

"Prove it," Riku ordered. "If you're really a D.I. you should have some sort of ability."

Ansem nodded his head. "Very well."

He lifted a hand and flicked his wrist. Riku was startled when the only chair in the room was sent flying across the floor to stop in front of the door. Ansem waved his hand again and the chair was returned to its original place.

"…How do I know that you didn't set that up before hand?" Riku asked at length. Ansem chuckled richly.

"Suspicious one, aren't you?" He smiled. "Very well."

Ansem pointed a finger at Riku and waved his hand upward. Slowly, Riku's feet left the ground and he was suspended in mid-air. It felt as if someone had picked him up from behind under his arms and was holding him in the air. Riku twisted his head around but there was no one anywhere except him and Ansem.

"Okay, I get the point," he gulped. "Put me down." Ansem made a downward gesture with his hand and Riku was gently placed back on his bed.

"A sufficient enough demonstration, I assume?" Ansem asked, a mocking smile teasing his lips.

Riku glared. "Alright, I believe you. But then why doesn't Cloud think you're a D.I.?"

"Ah," Ansem shifted his weight on the bed to be more comfortable. "That is because of my powers."

"What d'ya mean?"

"A D.I. recognizes others by their abilities. That is what we sense when we sense each other," Ansem explained. "The power I posses, telekinesis, is a very rare one. It is also the hardest to sense. You can feel it if you strain your senses enough, but every time Cloud and I have crossed paths, there hasn't exactly been time to sit and stare at one another."

"Why didn't you try telling him all this?"

"It wouldn't have mattered," Ansem shrugged. "Whether or not we are both from the Destiny Islands doesn't change the fact that we are both pirates of different crews."

Riku nodded in agreement. Vincent was from the Islands too, but he and Cloud weren't on the same side either. Riku was starting to think that the supposed unconditional loyalty of the Islanders was an exaggerated myth.

"…So are you trying to get to the Islands too?" Riku asked.

"I am," Ansem agreed.

"…Do you know how to get there?"

"Of course," Ansem frowned. "You simply follow the pull."

"The pull…?" Riku repeated slowly, frowning at him.

Ansem took on a confused face. "Do you not feel it? The pull towards a certain direction. It is in that direction our home lays."

Riku shook his head. "I've never felt anything like that."

Ansem smiled sadly. "It is sad when a Trapped can not find their way home."

"Whatever," Riku snapped. "I was finding my way just fine until Sephiroth and Cloud, and all you damn pirates showed up."

Ansem laughed at him. "Of course. It must have ruined everything, finding out the truth. It usually does. Perhaps you would like to learn to feel the pull?"

Riku frowned at him. "I suppose you could teach me?"

"If you wish," Ansem spread his hands in a gesture of peace.

Not really having anything better to do, and being slightly curious, Riku nodded. He shifted and faced Ansem on the bed, looking at him expectantly. Ansem smirked at him before making his face serious.

"It's quiet simple, actually," he began. "First you must think of yourself, or any D.I., though beginners find it easier to start with themselves." Riku nodded and did as told. "Now, think of your power. Think about how it feels when you use to, what you experience."

Riku closed his eyes and focused on his super speed ability, since that was the one he was most comfortable with. He remembered the feeling of feather-lightness in his legs along with the commanding strength. He remembered the world blurring around him as he moved faster then an untrained eye could follow. He took a deep breath and reopened his eyes.

"Good," Ansem nodded. "Very good. Now take all that you're feeling and focus on finding someone with the same feeling."

"What?" Riku frowned.

"Focus on finding someone who is doing what you're doing. Using their powers for some reason. Feeling what you're feeling," Ansem elaborated.

"How am I supposed to do that if I don't know anyone like me?" Riku demanded.

"You must open your mind and _know_ that there are others like you," Ansem instructed. "You know they are out there, now you must allow yourself to find them."

Glaring, Riku re-closed his eyes and tried to do as he was told. Ansem was right, he knew there were other Islanders who could use their powers just like him. He focused on trying to find them; on _wanting_ to find them. He wanted to meet others like himself, he wanted find his way home.

Riku dimly became aware of a pull behind his head, like someone was tugging his hair. He reached up and turned around, but there was no one there. The pulling feeling continued and Riku turned back to Ansem confusedly.

"I think I feel it," he admitted. The pirate nodded.

"Good," he handed him a compass. "Now which way is it pulling you?"

Riku looked at the needle. "North-east," he answered. "Definitely."

"Excellent," Ansem stood. "I need to attend to some things on the deck. I will leave you to rest again."

Riku was about to protest that he wasn't tired, but suddenly he was. His mind felt groggy and his eyes were starting to blur again. Dumbly, he held up the compass.

"Here," he muttered, falling asleep.

"Keep it," Ansem's voice sound soothing and relaxing. Riku felt like he was drowning comfortably in it. "When you wake up, try again. If the direction has changed, let me know right away."

"Okay…" Riku tipped over and curled up on the blankets, fast asleep before he ever realized it. Ansem stood over him and smirked.

"Sleep well, my little tool," he smiled cruelly.

* * *

**A/N: Well I give you an uber long chapter last time then abandon you for too long this time. I'm sorry. Really. Here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy. Once again, sorry for the lack of updates. My bad, really.**


	21. Prince Roxas

**Chapter Twenty-One: Prince Roxas**

They had made it.

Sora had finally made it to the Destiny Islands. To his birth home, the place where his parents were born and raised. He briefly wondered if he would be able to find out their names while he was here, but didn't dwell on the thought for long.

The port was bursting with life. There were few ships tied to the docks and none as big as the one Sora was currently on. Beyond them the city was busy with people and everyday life. Shops lined the streets with venders calling out their products. Children were running around in the streets screaming and laughing. Men and woman talked easily with one another, joking and trading stories. Sora didn't see a hint of a fight anywhere or even a disgruntled person. The city was clean and shone in the bright afternoon light.

"What? No questions for us?" Jack appeared by the awe-struck Sora's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Beautiful, ain't it?"

"Yes," Sora agreed. "Very much so."

"Come on little Trappling," Jack laughed, placing a hand on his shoulder and steering Sora towards the ramp. Vincent was waiting for them, looking very uncomfortable. "Now ye two are gonna have'ta go right to The Lord of the Gates. Captain Duke will be with ye shortly, so wait down on the docks till then."

He waved farewell and left to continue helping unload and secure the ship. Sora was itching to explore the city, but Vincent kept a firm hold on him, preventing him from running off. The teen had to settle with trying to look at ten different things at once.

Minutes later, Sora was bouncing in place. He kept whining at Vincent that it would be okay if they walked somewhere so long as they could still see the ship. Vincent continued to ignore him and look uncomfortable. As they were waiting, a rope overhead that was lifting cargo frayed and snapped. The sailors scrambled not to drop anything and Vincent moved to help when it looked like they wouldn't be able to handle it.

Sora really hadn't planned on running off. He really was going to stay like he was told to. But out of the corner of his eye he saw movement and turned to look. He watched as a person wearing a brown cloak grabbed an apple from a stand and kept moving. Sora frowned after the thief and, without really thinking about it, chased after them.

The thief seemed to realize they were being followed and began moving quicker through the crowds, ducking and weaving between the people. Sora easily kept up with them though, used to this type of behavior. Despite the thief's best efforts, Sora followed easily.

The chase went on for a few more minutes until Sora was hopelessly lost. He figured after he caught the thief he'd find his way back. The thief abruptly turned down an ally and broke into a run, Sora right on their heals. The alley was a dead end and the thief tried to climb up an old ladder attached to the wall but Sora caught them before they could. He grabbed the person's legs and pulled them down.

"Ouch!" The thief yelled as they landed on their butt in the dirt.

"Ha!" Sora cheered. "I caught you Thief!"

"Who are you calling a thief?! I didn't steal anything!"

"Yes you did! I saw you take that apple from the stand!"

"Stupid kid, I left munny on the table to pay for it."

"Yeah right!" Sora pouted. "Why didn't you just hand the munny to the seller if you were going to pay for it?"

The thief jerked his hood down revealing a boy's face. He had blonde hair and blue eyes that were nearly identical to Sora's own. His hair was spiked everywhere just like Sora's and they even had the same body build, but the blonde boy wasn't as skinny.

"Stupid, I didn't want to be recognized," the blonde snapped.

Sora however, totally forgot what they were talking about and dropped to the ground in front of the other boy. "Wow! You look a lot like me! We could pass as brothers!"

The not-actual thief was startled by his reaction. As Sora leaned in close to study his face, the blonde realized it was true. They did look a lot alike.

"My name's Sora. What's yours?"

"Um, Roxas," Roxas gave him a funny look.

"Nice to meet you. Why didn't you want anyone to recognize you?"

"Duh, I'm the prince," Roxas exclaimed.

"Prince of what?"

"Of the Destiny Islands!"

Sora's eyes widened. "Seriously! It's my first day here and already I get to meet the prince! How cool is this?"

Roxas climbed to his feet and brushed himself off, Sora following suit. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were new around here or something."

"I am," Sora told him. "I've never been here before. I'm a Trapped."

Now it was Roxas' turn to be shocked. "Really? A Trapped?" Sora nodded.

"I just got here an hour ago," he explained. "A Destiny Island ship found me and my friend in the water and the crew saved us. This is where we were trying to get so the captain, Duke, agreed to give us a ride."

"I'd heard rumors about two Trapped being found, but no one mentioned anything to me so I thought they were just rumors," Roxas mused.

"So you're really the prince?" Sora asked. Roxas nodded.

"Yup."

"Why don't you have an escort then since you're out in a city? All the royalty I've ever seen always goes out with escorts and lots of guards."

"I like to wander the city on my own," Roxas shrugged. "I wear the cloak so people don't recognize me."

"Aren't you worried about being attacked?"

Roxas looked at him funny. "Why would I be? If someone did see me, they wouldn't attack me, just freak out."

"Wow, this place really is peaceful. The royalty can walk around unguarded and not worry about their safety at all."

"Of course," Roxas laughed. "My people love me and I love them. Why would we fight each other?"

"Don't know," Sora shrugged. "I should probably get back to the docks though. I wasn't supposed to run off. Vincent's gonna be so mad."

"Do you know the way?"

Sora shook his head. "But I'm sure if I head towards the water and go from there I'll be fine."

Roxas sighed. "Come on, I'll walk you."

"You don't have to. What if someone sees?"

The blonde waved his hand dismissively. "As the prince I'm required to meet all Trapped or outsiders to the Islands. So it's not an inconvenience, we'd just meat each other later."

They started walking, Roxas shrugging off the cloak, glad to be rid of it's warmth on the hot day. "Why do you get to meet everyone?" Sora asked.

"Well I'm the one who decides if you get to stay or not. So does the Lord of the Gates. We usually we decided together, but I get final say."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm supposed to meet with Trapped or outsiders and determine if they're dangerous to my home or if they mean any harm."

"How can you tell that just by talking to them?" Sora asked.

"My ability allows me to read people," Roxas explained. "I can see auroras and, if I concentrate hard enough, feel other people's emotions as well. It helps a lot when I'm trying to solve disputes."

"That's so cool," Sora grinned. He was so excited talking to Roxas that Sora missed all the looks they were getting from passer-byes. Some people even stopped and bowed slightly in respect of their prince. "What does mine look like?"

"Um…" Roxas squinted at him. "White, with blue mixed in."

"What's it mean?"

"White is purity," Roxas explained. "Which means you have a good soul. Blue represents different things depending on the shade. You have a sky blue color, which means you're laid back and happy most of the time."

"Well I'm not so sure about the pure part, but I'm really easy going. Everyone calls me happy-go-lucky," Sora laughed.

"There's also a tint of purple around the edges," Roxas continued. "Who are worried about?"

Sora's face fell and he lost his smile. "My friend Riku. He was supposed to be here with me but we got separated. The sailors helped me ask the water to protect him, but I still wish I knew if he was alright." Sora sniffed. "He could be dead for all I know."

"Don't think like that!" Roxas exclaimed. He slung an arm around Sora's shoulders. "You'd know if he were dead. Destiny Islands is a place of hopes and dreams. Don't give up hope; I'm sure he'll find a way here, just like you."

Sora grinned at the encouraging words. "Ya, I just gotta have faith in him!"

"That's the spirit!" Roxas cheered. "Here we are!"

They arrived at the docks and Sora caught sight of a very angry Vincent (not that he looked angry, he just radiated annoyance) talking to Captain Duke. Sora stopped walking and looked at Roxas nervously. "I don't think I want to go over there."

"That guy's mad," Roxas pointed out, staring at Vincent. "Let me guess, he's supposed to be in charge of you?"

Sora nodded. "I guess, at the moment."

"Time to face the music," Roxas grinned and grabbed his new friend's arm, dragging him towards the sea captain and Vincent. "Duke! I think you lost someone!"

"Prince!" Duke exclaimed. He bowed slightly before turning a glare on Sora. "We told you to stay put little Trappling."

"It was his fault," Sora declared pointing at Roxas. "He was sneaking around."

"So you went sneaking after him?" Duke growled.

"Sora," Vincent interrupted. "Come here."

"I'd rather not," Sora shook his head.

"I think that's a smart idea," Roxas whispered into his ear.

"What's Vincent's aurora look like?" Sora whispered back.

"Red," Roxas told him. "Which means he's mad. But there's also dark purple. You scared him; he was really worried."

"Oh…now I feel bad," Sora muttered. He and Vincent stepped to the side and Vincent proceeded to lecture him about running off in a strange place, even if it was a peaceful one. Duke and Roxas stood back and allowed them their privacy.

"If I may ask, Prince Roxas," Duke began, turning to the blonde. "What are you doing out in the city?"

Roxas shrugged. "Just wandering around. I got bored in the palace."

"Where is Lord Axel?"

"I don't know! Why should I know?! I'm not his keeper!"

"Wow, calm down my Prince," Duke chuckled. "It was just a curious question." Roxas blushed and grumbled to himself. "I take it he is still courting you?"

"Yes," Roxas spat. "Jerk. He's treating me like I'm some sort of prize in a contest. My parents are eating it up too. If only they saw what he was _really_ like. Mom would throw him in the ocean and make the water drown him."

Duke laughed again and shook his head. "I'm sure if you keep persisting he'll stop eventually. Either that or ye will fall in love with'im."

"Never," Roxas hissed.

"Never what?" Sora asked, popping back into the conversation. Vincent had made him feel thoroughly stupid for running off and he'd promised not to do it again (…without a good reason, anyways).

"Our poor Prince here is being courted by someone," Duke explained happily. Roxas just grumbled. "He's not having a good time with it."

Sora grinned. "Haha, that sucks." He turned thoughtful. "Riku never courted me. We both just kinda…fell in love."

"You're friend?" Roxas asked, glad for the distraction. "I didn't realize you two were lovers."

"Ah well we haven't actually…" Sora made some strange noises and waved his hands around.

"Oh! I get it," Roxas smirked. "You're a virgin still."

Sora stopped and looked very sad all of sudden. Roxas also noticed that though Vincent's face didn't change, his aurora darkened with an orange color that meant shame.

"Yeah," Sora answered. "I'm still a…virgin."

You didn't need a special ability to tell he was lying. Roxas looked between the subdued Sora and shameful Vincent. Could it be that this man had at one point been more then just a trusted guardian? There was definitely something going on beneath the surface.

"Hey, isn't there someone we're supposed to be meeting?" Sora piped up, desperate to change the topic.

"The Lord of the Gates," Duke supplied. "He's the one who gets to say whether or not you stay or are sent back to the outside."

"Alright!" Sora punched the air. "Then let's meet him so that I can convince him to let me stay!"

Roxas laughed at the spunky brunette. "You can stay Sora. No one's sending you away."

Sora stopped planning ways to impress the Lord of the Gates and looked curiously at Roxas with wide eyes. "But I haven't even met him yet."

"Man are you dense or what? I told you already," Roxas shook his head. "I'm the Crowned Prince Sora, if I say you stay, you stay."

Sora was so excited he jumped on Roxas and hugged him without thinking. The two nearly fell over but Jack had appeared behind them in time for the announcement and managed to catch them before they hit the ground.

"'Ay now, watch who ye tacklin' little Trapped," Jack teased. "Don' wan' ye goin' 'round and knockin' princes over."

"Sorry," Sora smiled, letting go of Roxas. "I got excited."

"That's fine," Roxas assured him. "Did you need something, Mr. Jack?"

"I was comin' to tell ye the carriage had arrived," Jack shrugged. "But since the prince is here, I guess ye ain't goin' to see Lord Gates." Roxas nodded. "Ye will be stayin' with us too, Vincent?"

"That has yet to be decided," Roxas cut in. Sora looked confused.

"Vincent's not staying?" He asked. "But…he lived here before…" Sora looked to his older friend for an explanation.

"I will go see the Lord Gates," Vincent bowed. "Though Sora shouldn't be left alone until he is used to his new surroundings."

"I'm not a baby! I can take care of myself!" Sora exclaimed.

"He can come back with me to the palace," Roxas decided.

"Then again I do get into lots of trouble," Sora amended quickly.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Duke asked.

Roxas shrugged. "Well where else would he go? We have no hotels and the orphanages are all closed down now."

"The orphanages are closed?" Vincent interrupted.

"Yes, we shut them down after all the children had been adopted," Roxas explained. "We redesigned the building and made new homes for people. Any children unfortunate enough to loose their families are taken in by the villagers."

"I see," Vincent muttered, loosing himself in thought. Sora looked rather shocked as well.

"Damn," he said. "Orphans here are lucky." The D.I.s gave him a funny look but didn't say anything.

"Anyways," Roxas continued. "Until we can find you your own home or a family to take you in, you can stay in the palace."

"A family to take me in?" Sora repeated.

"Of course," Roxas smiled. "No Islander is alone here. We'll find you a good home in no time. You can even pick your new family."

"I already have a family," Sora frowned. "I might have left them to come here, but I still love them." If felt weird to Sora to think of a family and not picture Riku, Kairi, or the others as part of it.

"Of course," Riku agreed easily. "I'm sure they're all great too. But what I meant was that here you'll find a real family. Not an outsider one."

"But they are my real–"

"Once you're finished with the Lord Gates," Roxas continued, not hearing Sora's protest, "I will speak to him and we will decide what is to be done with you. Do you agree?"

"As you wish, Prince," Vincent bowed slightly again.

"Jack, escort him to the Lord," Roxas ordered. "Duke, is all of your cargo taken care of."

"Aye."

"Very good. Deliver your report and after that you're free to do as you please. The other ships are being sent out to catch more fish so you and your crew have some free time."

"Aye," Duke agreed. "Let's get going then." He grinned mockingly at Sora. "Can't wait to see the little Trapped's reaction to the castle."

* * *

"Isn't this…nostalgic?" Sephiroth commented, stepping up behind Cloud who was at the helm. Cloud may have agreed to take them to the Islands but he wasn't going to give directions. He would guide the ship himself and follow the pull and no one was permitted to write down their course.

"No." Cloud stated, not looking at the man.

"You once served under me," Sephiroth pointed out.

The blonde snorted bitterly. "In bed only. Not as a member of this crew. Or did you forget I was not but a lowly slave?"

"You could be more then that," Sephiroth whispered, moving towards Cloud and speaking in his ear. Cloud tried not to shrink away at the closeness. "If you came back to me."

"What would you do?" Cloud snapped, finding the strength to push Sephiroth away. "Make me your first? Vincent has that position already."

"Vincent would stay with me no matter what position he held. I could make him no more important then a cabin boy and he would not complain."

Cloud swung around and glared at his one time lover. "How can you say something like that? How can you so casually toss people aside? It's like he doesn't mean anything to you."

"You are a romantic, aren't you?" Sephiroth sneered. "I am merely stating the truth. He would follow me no matter what I did."

Cloud would have hit Sephiroth if he thought it would do any good. "Don't take us for granted." As it was, he managed to keep his temper in check and stepped away from the helm. "Keep heading North-east, don't change heading unless I tell you to."

Cloud went below decks to the rooms he shared with what was left of his own crew. Sephiroth took control of the ship and didn't try to stop him. As Cloud touched the door to his room, he stopped as he felt an overwhelming feeling worry and protection. Cloud leaned his head on the word and closed his eyes.

"Cloud?" Leon's voice floated to him as the man came out of another room. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"The water…" The blonde allowed a small smile and looked to Leon. "Sora's alive and the water is watching out for us."

* * *

Riku was sitting up in bed and staring at the little black thing that appeared every time he woke up. The door was locked and Riku hadn't seen any sign of Ansem in a couple hours. He could hear the ship settling but none of the noise that he would normally hear from a crew. There were no shouts or sailors singing songs or doing work. Everything was quiet. Riku figured that meant it was nighttime, but with no window he couldn't be sure.

In his boredom, Riku had kept an eye on the compass. Now that he was aware of it, the "pull" was stronger then ever. It was a comforting feeling, like a loved one calling you home. It never changed directions, just kept urging him to follow.

But now Riku was sitting on his bed and poking at the little black thing. It was a strange experience for sure. When Riku got close it seemed to loose its solidness and become nothing but swirling black fog, but it could still touch things. When Riku pulled his hand away, it solidified again and would make clicking noises at him.

"Sora would love you," Riku told it. "I should give you a name." He watched the things antenna twitch and it clicked at him. "You're like an overgrown bug. …Hmm, Bug. I'm going to call you Bug."

Bug clicked and began swaying back and forth viciously, making Riku laugh. "I guess that means you approve." He reached over and was surprised when Bug stayed solid and allowed Riku to pick it up. "Stick with me Bug. As soon as I see Sora again, I promise he'll spoil you rotten."

Bug clicked in a high pitched tone that Riku took for happy. He suddenly felt something strange overcome him and looked around. It felt as though someone –or something– was protecting him. He suddenly felt very safe. In fact if he didn't know any better, he'd swear he could feel Sora all around him. Bug began squirming in his arms and making loud noises.

"You feel that too?" Riku asked. "I wonder what it is?"

* * *

**A/N: Writing this chapter was an accident. By that I mean, I was staring at HvsN and thinking about what to do when I remembered I wanted to write down something on this story to use for later. So I opened the file on my computer and before I knew it I had this chapter done and started the next. Go figure.**

**Well, he now is Roxas. Axel won't come in until next chapter. By now, most people have guessed the basic plot (or at least where I'm heading) and after next chapter everyone will probably be able to guess it. Still, I'm going to throw in some twists and surprises along the way. Can't be too predictable, that would be boring.**

**And remember, reviews with substance and opinion are almost always answered. Reviews with no substance or opinion are almost always not answered.**

**Until next time. Ja matte!**

**P.S. Bug is fun to write.**


	22. We Don't Need You

**The title of this chapter pertains to both Riku and Vincent. Riku for obvious reasons (you'll get it when you read the chap) but Vincent as well because of the conversation Roxas and Merlin have. Honestly figuring out a title for this chapter annoyed me.**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: We Don't Need You**

Sora had just had the most interesting experience meeting someone he could remember. He had been staying in the palace for two days now and was finding that he rather enjoyed it. The servants were all very polite and helpful and the food was great. He got his own room with a feather stuffed bed and pillows and silk sheets. There was a fireplace for when it got cold at night (but because of the season the nights were rather warm) and all the blankets were hand stitched with special meaning. Like one blanket was made to honor the water gods and another was made to honor the trees and forests.

Roxas was even having clothes made especially for Sora. Since all of Sora's clothes were lost in the attack, he had nothing to change into. Until the clothes were done, Roxas was letting him wear his as they were both the same size. It was because of this that Sora met a very strange boy named Axel.

He and Roxas had been standing in front of a three sided mirror as a stylist, Emma, measured Sora for new clothes. Roxas was goofing off and wearing a hat made entirely of fruit. He was mocking some of the noble woman he knew and Sora was having a hard time holding his laughter back and staying still.

Finally Emma finished and packed her things. She promised to have something new for both of them by the end of the week. Sora and Roxas thanked her politely. They stayed in front of the mirror and talked, Roxas picking at the fruit hat.

"Where are your parents?" Sora asked. He hadn't met the king or queen since he'd arrived.

"They're away on another island," Roxas told him. "There was dispute and the Lords asked them to intervene."

"You rule over all the islands then?"

"Pretty much," Roxas confirmed. "Each island has their own Lords and Ladies who govern them, but it's my family that has the final say in everything. Only my parents can pass new laws or other big things like that."

"I never knew," Sora admitted. "Honestly when people talked about the Destiny Islands, I always thought it was just one really big island."

"Duh Sora," Roxas mocked. "It's called the Destiny Island_s_. Plural, not singular."

"Blah, shut up," Sora pouted. "I never went to no school." Roxas laughed at him. Suddenly there was a knock on the door and a voice sang out Roxas' name cheerfully. The blonde froze and stared at the door in shock.

"He wasn't supposed to be back until tomorrow!" Roxas exclaimed. "I gotta hide!"

"Hide? Why? Who is it?" Sora asked.

"Axel!" Roxas hissed, standing up and looking for somewhere to hide.

"Who's Axel?"

"The son of one of the Lords of a different Island," Roxas explained impatiently. His eyes landed on Sora and he glanced at the fruit hat in his hands. "You know…cover the hair and we look a lot alike."

Sora frowned at him. "Not that much. I'm pretty sure someone would notice."

Roxas jumped forward and slammed the fruit hat over Sora's head, making sure the brown spikes were hidden. "Just keep your back turned for as long as you can! I know a secret way out."

"Geh, no way! Roxas!" Sora whined.

"Just pretend to be me!" Roxas ordered. "Thanks Sora, you're a total life saver!" Roxas ran off into the room's connecting bathroom and Sora heard the window open.

"Hey wait, you can't just–" The door was kicked open and Sora got his first look at the boy Roxas was running from. He had spiked red hair with vibrant green eyes and little diamonds painted under them. His body was skinny and perfect. Sora didn't get a chance to stare as he whipped around to hide his face.

"Roxas!" Axel yelled. Sora guessed with the hat, wearing Roxas' clothes, and the fact his back was turned, Sora could pass as the blonde.

He cleared his throat and thought of something to say. "Hi Axel."

Axel frowned. "What's with your voice? You sick or something?"

"No…I mean yes. Yes I have a sore throat," Sora squeaked.

"Oh, poor little pampered prince," Axel cooed. "What's with the hat?"

"Uh…"

Axel wrapped his arms around his waist and Sora stiffened in surprise. Suddenly, Axel pushed him away.

"Hold on," he growled. "You're not Roxas. You're too scrawny." He turned Sora around and whipped of the hat. "Ahha!" He exclaimed. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sora," Sora answered promptly. "Roxas jumped out the window. I was charged with stalling you."

Axel frowned. "Damn…he's long gone by now. He's fast." He studied Sora and smiled. "You had me fooled for a second. You two look a lot alike."

Sora nodded. "We've noticed. So who are you?"

"Name's Axel, got it memorized? Good." The redhead grinned. "I'm a Lord of the second biggest island. I'm courting my dear lovely Prince Roxas."

Sora giggled. "I don't think he's enjoying it."

"Oh he is," Axel assured him. "He sure complains a lot aloud but when I manage to get him alone and pinned against a wall…"

"Okay!" Sora yelled loudly, blushing. "I don't need any details! I get it."

"Aren't you cute," Axel teased. "So who are you then?"

"My name's Sora," Sora repeated. "I just got here. I'm a Trapped."

"Really?" Axel looked thoughtful. "I heard rumors we found two Trapped but I didn't know one was staying in the palace."

"Roxas invited me," Sora explained. "He's been helping me out and making sure I have everything I need. He's really great."

"Yup, that's my Prince," Axel grinned. "Bleeding heart and all."

"And because of that I've decided he's my friend," Sora declared. "And I've learned to always look after my friends so." He stared Axel in the eye. "You'd had better not being doing _anything_ to Roxas he doesn't like because if you are…"

"Are threatening me, little Trapped?" Axel demanded, his eyes taking on a strange glint.

"Yes I am," Sora stated clearly.

"And what are you going to do?" Axel looked him up and down, stepping closer to emphasize their five inch height difference. "Kick me in the shin?"

Sora smirked at him and jerked his knee up, stopping right before he actually kicked Axel. "Something like that."

The redhead looked down and noticed Sora's knee had stopped just before it hit a place Axel really didn't want to be hit in. He looked back at the younger boy and grinned. "You're fun. I like you." Before Sora realized what had happened he was on the floor. Axel had apparently pushed him backwards over a foot stool. "See ya later!" Axel waved at the startled boy and skipped from the room.

Now Sora was wandering the palace halls looking for Roxas. The blonde had effectively disappeared. Sora got the feeling running and hiding was a normal thing for him. With a sigh, Sora gave up the search and sat down on a fountain located in the garden. It was strange being alone. He hadn't been left on his own since…since Riku had saved him from Sephiroth.

The brunette sighed again and rested his chin on his hands, pouting to himself. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Vincent. It had been two days since he had been taken to see the Lord of the Gates (whoever that was) and not even Roxas knew what was going on. Sora just hoped he was doing okay.

* * *

Vincent stood from his kneeling position before a large altar. He never had been one for praying, but something about being in this place made one feel obligated to do so. The last time Vincent had been in the Castle Gates was when he was eleven and left the islands for the first time. He had honestly never expected to be within these walls again.

"Ah, praying are you, my friend?" The Lord of the Gates beckoned the man to follow him and Vincent did so.

The Lord of the Gates, also known as Merlin, was a great leader. He had served as advisor to the former king and queen and still held that position today. It was Merlin who, almost twelve years ago, urged the now passed on original King and Queen to make contact with the outsiders. He had truly believed that all would benefit from the Islanders and Outsiders coming together as one.

But the royalties had been murdered one their first trip away from the islands. Though Merlin stilled believed contact was the right way to go, he knew it was pointless to try and continue to push the issue. Instead he bowed to the wishes of the Islanders and created magical gates that kept all but their own people out.

After that the magician (as people had named him) appointed the current King and Queen to the thrown and named their son Roxas the rightful heir. It had been a great tragedy to loose not only the original King and Queen, but their heir as well. Prince Roxas and his family were the closet in blood (being cousins) and therefore the natural choice to take over.

Still…as much as Merlin cared for the current Prince, he always remembered the child who was supposed to be ruler. He had been such a spunky boy, always asking questions and always getting in the way. Merlin had been able to see the potential in the child and his heart still hurt at the thought of his premature death.

But now was not the time to be thinking of past tragedies. Roxas was an exemplary prince and would rule the islands justly. Now what Merlin had to worry about was the boy following behind him, Vincent Valentine. The child he had let go so many years ago. He had hoped that Vincent would find the life he wanted, but Merlin could tell by the way the boy (in Merlin's eyes, he was too young still to be called a man) acted he had not found what he was looking for.

They entered a room decorated with couches and smelling of incense. It was dimly lit by a fire in the hearth and few torches on the wall. The castle itself stood on a rock face miles away from the city. It was a secluded area that no came to except with direct royal permission.

"Sit down, child," Merlin directed Vincent to a cushion on the floor and Vincent sat. "I have allowed you your time. Are you ready now to speak with me?"

Vincent sighed in resignation. "Yes Lord Gates."

"Merlin, Vincent," Merlin corrected gently. "Here there are no titles."

"Merlin," Vincent repeated dutifully. "I do not know where to start."

"The beginning is always a good place," Merlin pointed out helpfully. "Did you find the father you originally sought out?"

"He was dead," Vincent explained. "Murdered by the girl he had raped while pretending she was my mother."

The bushy-browed man frowned sadly. "How tragic. What then, became of you child?"

And so for the second time, Vincent explained his past and what had become of him. When he spoke to Merlin he spoke the whole truth and did not censor certain parts as he had for Sora. Merlin listened patiently to the end and nodded as he finished.

"And then, did you find the happiness you wanted?" Merlin asked as he finished.

Vincent did not answer for a long time. The wise magician didn't push him and waited patiently. Finally, "…I do not know. I believe I may still be searching."

Merlin nodded. "Then to the matter at hand. Even though you once lived amongst us, you left of your own choosing."

The man nodded. "I understand your concern for me to return here. I never intended to come back, but for Sora I had no choice. Once his friend's arrive –and they will be coming soon Merlin– I will leave once again. I am simply waiting until I know he is cared for."

"You care for this child," Merlin stated.

"I owe him a debt I can never repay."

"It is not only that Vincent," Merlin smiled indulgently at him. "You care for him as family."

"I have no family," he stated, eyes narrowing.

"Not now, but once you did," Merlin corrected gently. "And once, you were a noble, directly related to the original King and Queen."

"My aunt and uncle are dead Merlin. They were killed in a pirate attack when they left for the outside world. I don't even have memories of them."

"…What of your little cousin?"

"I met him once," Vincent frowned. "But he was just a baby then."

"You felt connected to him." It was more of a statement then question.

"Of course," he answered, somewhat confused at the questions. "He was…precious. I enjoyed holding him."

Vincent smiled at the memories. He had only met his younger cousin once before he'd died. The original Queen had asked her sister (Vincent's mother) to watch the baby for a week while she and the original King tended to business. It had mainly been a young Vincent and the maids who watched the prince and Vincent have had loved the baby very much.

"Why do you ask about this?" Vincent inquired.

Merlin sighed sadly and stood to walk over to the fire. Vincent followed him with his eyes. "A darkness is brewing on this island. One that I have never felt before but was told about by my master." He poked at the flames with his staff. "The legends told to me say that only one of original royal blood can stop this darkness." Merlin turned to face Vincent. "The original King and Queen are dead, as is their only heir."

"…I am not royalty Merlin," Vincent denied. "I am servant by choice to a man who would be hung on this island. I am not fit to be a king, nor do I wish to be."

"I understand that," Merlin nodded. "And it is not king I ask you to be. Vincent, if my suspicion is right, you will be the only one able to save us."

"I am no one's savior," Vincent said clearly and stood up. "Least of all for this place." He walked to the door and paused with his hand on the doorknob. "Once Sora is taken care of I will leave and return to Sephiroth. That is where I belong, Merlin. Not here." He left the old man without another word.

* * *

"Hello Merlin," Roxas greeted as he entered a private room in the Castle Gates. "I thought I should come speak to you about the second Trapped, Vincent."

"You are hiding from Lord Axel," Merlin corrected, hiding his amusement.

Roxas flushed. "So? We still need to talk about him…"

"Yes we do," Merlin agreed. "Vincent once lived on these Islands. I allowed him to leave when he was eleven. To search for his father."

"He's a half-breed?" Roxas asked. "I see. The outside world must not have been kind to him."

"It was not," Merlin confirmed. "Roxas, I wish for you to allow him to stay."

"Are you serious Merlin?" Roxas demanded. "The man's aurora is filled with dark colors. If he was not tainted before he left the islands he is certainly tainted now."

"He is a good man."

"He has killed innocent people," Roxas countered.

"I will not defend his past deeds," Merlin sighed. "But please try and look past them. His spirit was broken when he was very young but he does have a good heart."

"Oh please Merlin," Roxas rolled his eyes. "You can't tell me you don't see the darkness in his heart! He has no morals."

"That darkness sprouted from pain. There is no malice intent within him. He has a caring heart."

"He's a murder."

"He is loyal to a fault."

"He is shrouded darkness."

"He cares deeply for Sora," Merlin pointed out. "Whom, I might add, you did not allow me to meet."

"Sora doesn't need to be tested," Roxas defended. "His aurora is pure white and beautiful. He's the easiest person to read I have ever met. And I do not trust Vincent around him."

"Oh?" Merlin raised a bushy eyebrow in surprise. "I would not know since you did not allow me to meet Sora."

"Get over it," Roxas rolled his eyes.

"Why do you not trust him with Sora?" Merlin pressed on, ignoring the teenager's rudeness.

"I got a weird vibe off them when they were together," Roxas shrugged. "Sora tells me all the time he has a lover, but they've never slept together. However Sora is not a virgin and Vincent's aurora shows shame when they're together."

"If you are implying that he raped him…"

"No," Roxas interrupted. "Sora doesn't hate him and isn't afraid of him, so that's not the case. I think that in a moment of weakness they slept together and both of them regret it."

"I think you are wrong," Merlin said clearly. Roxas flung himself on a chair and glared at the old wise man.

"Just like that? You're telling me I'm wrong without any explanation?" The blonde glared at him. "I don't need to remind you I have more authority in this matter then you."

"Roxas…"

"I've always listened and respected your opinion Merlin," Roxas told him earnestly. "And we've almost never disagreed on anything. But unless you give me a good reason to let this man stay, I'm sorry, but he's gotta go."

Merlin sighed. "At least allow him to stay with Sora until Sora's friends get here." Roxas frowned and crossed his arms. "He has told me himself he just wants to make sure the boy's safe."

"Fine Merlin," Roxas caved. "He can. But on the condition that someone is with him at all times. I don't want him left alone. And he will stay in the palace where I can personally keep on eye on him."

"Agreed," Merlin nodded. "I will inform him personally." Roxas scowled as he left.

* * *

Riku was going stir crazy. Ever since he had been brought onboard Ansem's ship he had been confined to the small little room. Everything he needed was brought to him so he didn't have to leave. It had been days since he'd seen daylight and Riku was sick of it. But Ansem only ever came when he wanted to and no matter how hard he pounded on the door, Riku couldn't get out. The only thing keeping him from destroying the place was his little friend Bug, who got scared every time Riku started banging.

He meant to ask Ansem why he couldn't leave, but every time the captain entered the room he forgot. In fact he forgot everything when Ansem was around. His mind would stop thinking and focus solely on the other man and every single time after they'd finished talking, Riku fell asleep. It was like he couldn't control himself around him and Riku was starting to distrust the pirate. He didn't like the loss of control he inspired.

The motion of the ship had slowed down considerably. It felt to Riku like they weren't at open sea anymore. He wasn't sure if they'd made it to the islands yet, but at this point Riku didn't care. He would take any piece of land if it meant he could get out of this small room! He kicked the bed and cursed as it served to hurt him more then the bed. Bug started clicking loudly at him.

"Oh be quiet Bug," Riku grumbled. "I just won't out of here, that's all."

Bug clicked and sank into the floor. Riku had no clue how he did that. His little body became a black blob and snuck under the small crack between the door and floor. A second later the door swung open to reveal a very pleased swaying Bug. Or at least, Riku thought he was pleased, since he was swaying even more and his clicking had taken on a higher pitch.

"If you could do that Bug," Riku frowned. "Why didn't you do it when I was kicking the door and freaking out?"

Bug caught onto his annoyed tone and sunk down a little, stopping his clicking. Riku instantly felt bad.

"No, you did good Bug, thank you," he hurriedly assured the little thing. Bug straitened and crawled up Riku's body until he was in his arms. Seeing as how he was weightless, Riku didn't mind holding him.

"Okay," Riku smiled. "Now that we're out, let's find the deck, shall we?"

Riku walked down the hall, not coming across anyone. In fact as he listened, he couldn't hear any sounds either. No movement or creaks that you would except from a crew walking around. He found the stairs leading to the deck but there was a trap door blocking them and, just like his door, it was locked.

Riku glanced at Bug again. "Think you can help me out?"

Bug crawled out of Riku's arms and flattened himself to the stairs. This time he squeezed through the practically nonexistent crack between the locks. It took a little longer then before, but soon the trap door was open and Riku was hit with a blast of fresh air and sunlight. He smiled at the blue sky and hauled himself onto the deck.

Riku glanced around him and suddenly almost wished he was back locked in his little room. All around him were creatures he'd never seen before. They were black and most had yellow eyes, just like Bug. The things seemed to be the crew as they were performing the tasks sailors usually did. But unlike sailors, these things were silent and ghosted through the work eerily.

"Well who do have here?" A cold voice purred behind him. Riku whipped around, still half in the trap door. A woman with weird green skin stood behind him, smirking cruelly. "Captain, I believe your toy has escaped." She caught sight of Bug. "You, what are you doing here? Get back to work you insignificant creature."

Instead of obeying, Bug trembled and dove into Riku's arms. Riku caught him and shivered as Bug was freezing. Whenever the little guy got scared he got cold and the colder he was, the more frightened he was. Riku glared at the woman and crawled out of the hole and onto the deck.

"Don't boss my…thing around," he snapped at her.

She sneered at him but Ansem chose that moment to make an appearance. "Oh Riku, what are you doing up? I thought you would be sleeping after our last conversation."

Riku felt that unnatural fog in his mind again; the need to sleep even though a second ago he had been hyped up with adrenaline. He stumbled, but didn't fall. Sunlight burned into his eyes and Riku was able to shake the tired feeling away by focusing on the light. He opened his eyes and glared at Ansem.

"What the hell are you doing?" He demanded.

Ansem frowned at him and titled his head. Riku once again felt tired, but this time it was far more intense. He would have fallen to his knees if Bug hadn't chosen that moment to bite his arm, surprising him into wakefulness. Ansem glared at the little creature that was now as cold as ice in Riku's arms.

Riku took half a step backwards, preparing to defend himself. "What the hell are you? What is all this?" He gestured at the odd creatures that were still performing their tasks as though Riku had never appeared on deck.

"They are pure darkness given physical form," Ansem answered, not trying to put him to sleep again. "They are my pets to control and do with as I please."

Riku was starting to understand what was going on. He was starting to see now why Cloud denied Ansem was one of them. He hadn't known how to get to the Islands; he had made Riku figure it out, disguising it as teaching. He called these creatures pets, objects, to do with as he pleased, and Cloud had always spoken out loudly against slavery of any kind. And keeping Riku locked up under some sort of sleeping spell…

"You are not from my home," Riku stated clearly. "Don't expect me to lead you any farther."

"Oh that won't be an issue," Ansem smiled and gestured behind Riku. "We're already there."

Riku whipped around and got his first glimpse at the Destiny Islands. It was far away so he couldn't make anything out other then the basic shape. Riku stared in disbelief as a warm feeling of welcome overcame him and he had the sudden urge to be _there_, on that island. Riku didn't need to be told that that was his home.

"So you see," Ansem purred into his ear, making the teen jump. "We really have no more use for you."

Before he could react, Riku was grabbed. He tried to struggle, but his arms were pinned and two different creatures held his legs. He dropped Bug, who scattered away quickly, and struggled uselessly. The things carried him over to the edge of the ship.

"Thank you for all the help boy," Ansem mocked. "We couldn't have made it without you." He snapped his fingers and Riku was sent sailing over the rail into the water.

* * *

**A/N: Bet you didn't expect an update so soon after all that work on HvsN did ya? I know I sure as hell didn't. But this chapter was farther along then I had originally thought so it was easy to finish.**

**Anyways, Vincent is being kicked out, Riku's being thrown overboard, and Sora has no idea. Not to mention Cloud and them have…vanished. I'll try and bring them back next chapter.**


	23. Anticipation

**I want to spell it like "Aurora Borealis." The Northern Lights are like super beautiful, right? Well that's what Roxas sees when he looks at people. The greatest beauty, like the lights, or the scariest evil. That's why I spell it "arurora" instead of "aura."**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Anticipation**

"Roxas!"

"Ugh…owe…"

Roxas groaned as his head hit the ground. Axel had come out of nowhere and jumped on him, knocking them both down. The blonde prince glared up at the older Lord and scowled.

"I could have you arrested for this," Roxas snapped. "Attacking the royal family is against the law."

"So is impersonating them," Axel pointed out cheerfully.

Roxas gave him a strange look. "I can't impersonate myself. I am myself."

"Yeah but you made that Trapped kid pretend to be you," the redhead explained. "Rat me out for something stupid like tackling you and I rat him out for impersonating the Prince."

"Are kidding?" Roxas demanded. "You can not be that petty."

"I can if I want to be," Axel whined.

"Nuh-uh," Roxas shook his head and shoved the other boy off him. "I don't like petty people. And I won't like you if you're petty."

"What do you think you're being right now?"

Roxas grinned and leaned forward. "Spoiled." He shoved Axel to the ground and ran off.

Axel sat up on his elbows and watched him go. Roxas could run all he wanted but Axel would catch him every time.

"Vincent!" Sora exclaimed, running to greet his friend as he stepped out of the carriage. "I've been worried about you."

Vincent nodded in greeting. "I have been with Lord Gates. Is there any news of your friends?"

"Roxas said that some sailors saw a ship a couple days out," Sora reported. "But it had no marks so they couldn't tell anything. Who's this Lord Gates person everyone always talks about?"

"He is the one who maintains the magic around the islands that keeps us hidden from the outside world," Vincent explained. "If anyone wishes to come or go from here, they must get his or the royal family's permission."

"Oh," Sora nodded in understanding. "So this means you can stay?"

"For awhile," Vincent confirmed.

Roxas came running around the corner, smiling happily. He slowed to a stop as he saw Vincent and Sora speaking. Axel crashed into him a second later and wrapped his arms around his waist.

"Caught ya," he teased but frowned at Roxas' face. "What's wrong?"

"See him?" Roxas pointed at Vincent. "He's the second Trapped we found."

"What's your point?"

"I don't trust him," Roxas explained. "But Merlin convinced me to let him stay for awhile."

"What does he look like?"

"Black, mostly. There's a whole slew of dark colors," Roxas turned to look at Axel. "Merlin trusts him and so does Sora. I don't know much about Sora's judgment, but I've always trusted Merlin. But I just can't bring myself to trust someone covered in so much dark."

"So then why is he still here?"

"Merlin asked that I let him stay," Roxas shrugged. "I agreed, but I want him here, at the palace, where I can watch him."

"I'll help ya, Prince," Axel assured. "But for now, we have to be polite and go greet our newest guest."

Roxas smiled. "Thanks Axel. You know, it's moments like this that make me like you."

"Really?"

"No."

"Roxas!" Sora waved as he saw his friend approaching. "Vincent's back!" He spotted Axel behind the blonde. "Oh, hello Lord Axel."

"Hey little Trapped," Axel grinned. "Going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Of course," Sora grinned. "This is Vincent Valentine. Vincent, this is Axel. He's Lord of…woah…" Before Sora realized it, he was falling to the ground. Vincent quickly caught him as Roxas ran forward worriedly.

"Sora!" He exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

All of Sora's breath had left him in a rush and his head was spinning. He latched onto Roxas' hand, desperate to steady himself. He could hear his friends from far away calling his name and felt someone playing with his hair. After what felt like hours to Sora, but was really only a minute, his head slowly stopped spinning and Sora was able to focus on the three around him.

"That wasn't very fun," he muttered.

"What just happened?" Roxas demanded. "You were fine one second then the next you're on the ground. You're aurora flashed from white to blue so fast I barely saw it."

"I don't know," Sora admitted as he slowly sat up. Vincent kept a hand on his back to support him. "I just lost all my breath and everything started spinning so fast."

"How do you feel now?"

"…Tired," Sora mused. "Like…like I did after Cloud first taught me how to use my powers. I overdid it and felt exhausted. But I wasn't using my powers at all."

Roxas frowned. "Odd. What else could make you feel that way for no reason?"

"The water," Vincent spoke. Everyone looked at him. "The water is connected to Sora through his plea to protect his loved ones."

"Of course," Roxas agreed. "But it would have to be something very bad for the water to need to pull on Sora's power to help."

"Wait!" Sora's eyes widened. "Are you saying something bad has happened to Riku? Or Cloud?"

"Calm down Sora," Roxas soothed. "I'm sure it's nothing."

"But you just said…"

"Quiet Sora," Vincent ordered. "Whether or not it's true, there's nothing you can do right now. You've just been completely drained of energy, you need to rest."

"But Vincent…!"

"Can you stand?"

"Huh?"

"If you can stand on your own, I will let you go to the port and try and find your friend. If you can not, you will do as I say and rest while we search," Vincent bargained.

Sora immediately tried to stand up. He managed to get to his knees but as he put his weight on his legs he collapsed into Roxas. His body felt heavier then led. Sora couldn't remember ever feeling this weak. He tried again, using Roxas as leverage, but still couldn't get past his knees.

"Riku…" Sora whined. He fell against Roxas, even more tired now then he had been before. Sora closed his eyes, trying hard not to cry.

"Don't worry Sora," Roxas soothed. "I'll send out our ships to search the water for him. If he's out there, we'll find him. I _promise_."

Sora sniffed. He had no doubt they would find Riku. Whether he would be alive or not was what Sora was worried about.

He could see him in his head, almost as clearly as if Sora was next to him. Riku stared at the blue sky as he floated in the ocean aimlessly. He had been floating for an entire day now and felt weaker then he had ever been in his life. At first, Riku had tried to swim…somewhere. But he soon realized that it was a wasted effort. There was no sign of land, not even a tiny island, for as far as he could see.

Riku had given up on swimming and now he had resigned himself to drowning at sea. It was surprising really, how calm he felt. He thought back on his life and everything that he'd done. But most of all he thought of Sora.

Who would take care of him when Riku was gone? Was he even still alive to be taken care of? How would Sora react to his death? They had always been together, what would it be like to never see each other again? Riku knew he would have it easy; he wouldn't be alive to suffer being alone. But Sora…Sora would have to live with the pain. He would have to live with the loss of Riku and he wouldn't even have Kairi or the others to help him through it.

Would he loose that beautiful smile Riku loved so much? Riku couldn't stand the thought of Sora never smiling. This really sucked. Riku didn't want to die but unless a miracle happened he would. All he wanted was Sora. He wanted to see him, to hold him one last time. He wanted to kiss Sora and say goodbye.

This wasn't fair. He was still a kid. Riku didn't want to die, not yet. He still had so much to live for. He wanted to live. He wanted to be saved. He wanted to be back with Sora again…

As the sun set, Riku's eyes closed as he passed out. The only thing keeping him afloat now was the water's desire to serve its Prince.

"We have arrived unnoticed, Captain."

"Excellent," Ansem hissed. "Prepare to go ashore."

"Do you have a destination in mind?" Maleficent asked.

"The Heartless will lead us to where we need to be," Ansem dismissed. "Did you dispose of that worthless runt who helped our dear, lost, Riku?"

"Of course," Maleficent nodded. "It went overboard with its Master."

"Good. We have no use for disobedient Heatless." His eyes lit up cruelly. "Now, let's go claim our Treasure."

Riku felt water splash on his face and was startled awake. He felt weightless and dizzy. He couldn't focus on anything. It took Riku a long time to realize he was still in the ocean. Though why he hadn't sunk under and drowned yet was beyond him. Or maybe he had drowned and was dead. Maybe he was damned to float in an endless ocean for all eternity.

A small wave splashed his face again and Riku blinked the water from his eyes. He turned his head and was surprised to see a boat. A very beat up and crappy looking boat, but a boat none-the-less. Not being able to think clearly, Riku just stared up at the vessel blankly.

What was a boat doing in his hell? Maybe Riku wasn't in hell, maybe this was the ship that took him there. Yeah, Riku vaguely recalled a story Wakka once told them about people who died at sea being taken to the next world by a boat sailed by angels. That must be what was happening now.

Riku watched the ship get closer to him and suddenly saw a head appear over the railing. The person was surrounded by light and their hair swayed gently. Riku blinked as the pretty person came into focus. Wow, the angel looked a lot like Cloud. Cool.

Riku thought he saw the angel moving his mouth but he couldn't hear anything. The next thing he knew, a rope was being thrown down next to him. Riku stared at it floating in the water, debating on whether or not he should grab it. On the one hand, he didn't want to spend all eternity floating in the ocean. On the other hand, Riku was afraid of exactly where the boat would take him. He didn't know anything about the after life.

Riku looked back at the angel and noticed that he was yelling and pointing at the rope, looking frustrated. It was amazing really, how much that angel looked like Cloud. Even their angry faces were the same. Hey…did angels get angry? Maybe he should grab the rope…

A second face joined the first and Riku half smiled. Now there was an angel that looked like Leon. How funny. Leon was anything but an angel. Especially after all the hell he'd put Riku through and had the gall to call it "training." Bastard…

"Riku either grab the rope now or we leave you to drown!"

Holy shit…the angel not only looked like Leon, it _sounded_ like him too. Creepy.

"Fine. Drown. We're leaving. Pull the rope back up."

Riku blinked as the Leon-angel walked away. Suddenly it him; that wasn't an angel, that was Leon! And Cloud too! He wasn't dead or dreaming, he was still alive! This was great! This meant he could see Sora again. It meant Riku wasn't dead or dying! He quickly reached out and snagged the robe, holding on as tight as his exhausted body would let him as he was pulled out of the water and onto the deck.

"Toruko!" Yuffie screamed in greeting. She glomped the half-conscious boy. "What in the world were you doing floating in the ocean? Don't tell me you've been in the water since the fight!"

Riku blinked at her. "Sora…" He whispered and passed out.

"Take him below Aerith," Leon ordered. "Don't leave him alone." Aerith nodded and waved towards Cid who picked Riku up and easily carried him below decks to their room.

Cloud frowned after them and stalked up to Sephiroth, who was still at the helm, watching everything dispassionately.

"That is Riku," Cloud stated clearly, his eyes flashing in anger.

"I am aware of that."

"He is Sora's lover. The kid you _raped_."

"What is your point?"

"Don't you feel anything?"

"Cloud," Leon stepped up behind the blonde but he ignored him.

"Don't you feel the tinniest bit of guilt that you nearly ruined those boys? That you hurt them beyond repair?"

"No."

"Cloud, let's go," Leon ordered. "We need to check on Riku."

Cloud shook off Leon's arm and glared at Sephiroth. "And _that_," he hissed. "Is why I will never come back to you."

He stormed away without looking back.

"Come on Riku, drink this," Aerith gently tipped a cup full of clean water down Riku's throat. The teen drank it greedily and smiled at her in thanks.

"Where's Sora?" He asked as soon as he could speak. His voice was still raw, but felt better.

"We're not sure," Aerith explained sadly. "We lost both of you after the fight." Riku's eyes glazed over and he turned away. "Hey, Cloud swears he's alive. He keeps saying that the water is protecting us or something."

"What?"

"I don't know, it's another one of those D.I. things," Aerith shrugged. "You're such a strange race."

"Hey now, play nice," Riku half-smiled, pushing her playfully. "Tell me what's been going on then."

Aerith explained briefly about how they had been forced to join Sephiroth and combine the crews. Riku was pissed and if he would have had the strength, he probably would have gotten up and tried to kill the man.

"How long have you been floating in the water?" Aerith asked when she was done talking.

Riku shrugged. "Two days, I think. Maybe a little longer."

"How'd you end up there?"

"Ansem threw me overboard," Riku dismissed.

"What?" Cloud and Leon entered the room in time to hear the announcement. The blonde was defiantly mad but he carried a small bowl of soup with some bread. Riku practically started drooling as soon as he saw it.

"Is that for me?" He asked, reaching out for the food.

"Eat slowly," Cloud ordered, handing him the food. He touched Riku's forward and looked him up and down, satisfied when he found no wounds. Riku stared at him curiously as he ate, surprised by Cloud's sudden affection.

"Hey Cloud, hey Leon," Riku smiled. "It's good to see you again."

Leon punched him upside the head.

"Owe! What was that for?"

"For staring at the rope like an idiot. Next time, we leave you to drown."

Riku smiled at him. "Okay." He turned to Cloud. "Are we almost there? I want to see Sora again."

Cloud nodded and glanced at Leon. The brunette took up position guarding the door and turned to everyone in the room.

"We've been heading in the wrong direction," Cloud informed everyone. They all stared at him in surprise. "We supposed to be going North-east, I have been guiding us south-east. It's just a subtle change of heading, but if it isn't corrected the ship will end up passing the islands altogether."

"So then fix it so we can get there," Riku deadpanned.

Cloud frowned at him. "I will not take Sephiroth to our home. We're going to be in enough trouble bringing these guys with us." He gestured to three scattered around the room.

"What do you mean?"

"Outsiders are not allowed on our Islands. They will accept us, but not them."

"So then what are we planning?"

"There's one lifeboat left," Cloud informed them. "Tonight we will take it and go to the Islands ourselves. The only thing I can hope for is that the Lord of the Gates will have compassion for us and give these guys a chance."

"Who's the Lord of the Gates?" Riku asked.

"He is the one who decides who stays on the Islands and who goes," Cloud explained. "The royal family has say in the matter too, but I don't know anything about the current prince. He was still a child when I left the Islands."

Riku nodded as he finished off his soup. "So long as I don't have to swim there, I'm okay with it."

"Good," Cloud nodded. "It'll take two days on a life boat to reach the islands."

"Why not wait until we're closer?" Aerith asked.

"We can't risk Sephiroth finding out and stopping us," Leon told her. "Right now he has all the power. The only reason he hasn't killed us all is because he needs Cloud and he knows Cloud won't cooperate if he hurts us. We need to get out of here before he changes his mind on that and before we get too close to the islands."

"What do you want us to do?" Cid asked gruffly.

"Aerith find Yuffie and start getting us food and fresh water," Leon ordered. "If anyone catches you, tell them that it's for Riku. We're trying to rebuild his strength. Cid I want you to get into a fight."

"What?"

"Up on deck," Leon continued. "Get into a fight with one of the pirates and make sure something breaks. You will have to fix it which gives you an excuse to be on deck at night instead of in your room. It will also give us an excuse to check on you."

"Alright," Cid grinned, cracking his knuckles. "'Bout time I got to hit something again."

"What do you want me to do?" Riku asked, eager to help.

"Nothing," Cloud interrupted. "You're still weak. You stay in bed and don't try and get up until I say otherwise."

"I can help!" Riku insisted.

"You can help by being sick," Leon agreed. "So that if the girls get caught they have a believable excuse. And we can all be in the same room tonight with the excuse that we're worried about you. So stay in bed and be sick."

"Whatever…" Riku grumbled, crossing his arms. Secretly he was glad he'd been ordered to stay in bed. He might have started feeling better after the water and soup, but Riku was still pretty weak. He wouldn't be surprised if he had lost quite a bit of weight.

"Alright, everyone be as discreet as you can," Leon straightened. "Don't get caught. We'll leave tonight."

**A/N: Next chapter everyone will finally meet up again on the Islands. I won't say anything about Sephiroth though. And we'll find out what Ansem is planning. I think. It'll be fun.**

**Staryday**


	24. Reunited Forever

**Hiya one and all!! There's a lemon in this chapter that has been clearly marked off. For those who don't wish to read it, where you see the warning is where the chapter ends for you. Thanks.**

**Thanks for skyandland for betaing.**

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Reunited Forever**

"Out of my way you oversized, sorry excuse for a whale's backside," Cid snarled gruffly and shoved one of Sephiroth's pirates hard.

The pirate growled at him and stood to his full height which happened to be a full head size bigger than him. His chest was broader then Cid's and he made the old man look like a dwarf.

"What you say?" He demanded slowly, as if speaking too fast would hurt.

"You heard me," Cid snapped, glaring at him. "I said get your fat, lard filled ass out of my way."

"Why you–" The pirate didn't have enough brain power to think up a retort, so he decided to do what he did best: he hit Cid. Cid had apparently underestimated the pirate because the next thing he knew, he was flying through the air and into the riggings. He cursed loudly as he struggled to untie himself and the pirates around him laughed. Cid eventually got fed up and pulled a knife from his boot and cut his way free. He landed gracefully on his feet and prepared to charge at the lard-pirate.

"You will fix that."

Cid stopped mid-charge and glanced over to see Sephiroth watching the fight boredly.

"I suggest you get started now," he ordered lazily. Cid glanced at the ropes he had cut up and realized it would take all night to fix. He began cursing loudly as the pirates around him laughed yet again, secretly proud of himself. Cid glanced to the side and saw Cloud slightly hidden in the door towards the bottom deck. The blonde nodded in approval and Cid continued to curse, faking anger.

* * *

_Crash_. "Ouch! Shit…" 

"Yuffie! Be quiet!"

"It's not my fault someone left a bucket in the middle of where people walk! That fucking hurt."

"Can it, both of you," Cloud ordered. "Do you have the food and water?"

The girls held up two bags with food, and two gourds filled with fresh water.

"Okay," Cloud peered onto the deck. Cid and Leon were still "fixing" the rigging that Cid had cut earlier that day. Leon was discreetly getting the only lifeboat ready to be dropped into the water. It was completely dark out and the only people on deck were Leon, Cid, the helmsman, and look out.

"Yuffie," Cloud called. The girl stood straight, ready for action. "Take out the watchman as quietly as you can. I'll get the helmsman."

"You got it, Cloud," Yuffie saluted and tossed her bag to Aerith. She silently made her way up the ropes to the crows nest to dispose of the man. Cloud calmly walked to the helm, fingering the knife in his pocket.

"What do you want?" The helmsman snarled at him. Cloud vaguely remembered the man from when he had served under Sephiroth. He had always been very violent, and Cloud had never liked him.

"We need to change our heading slightly," he replied emotionlessly. "Change our heading 80 degrees south."

The man grunted at him. "I don't change unless my captain tells me to."

"You're _captain_ is currently following my directions," Cloud stated. "I'm the one who says where to go."

"I ain't changing it unless I clear it with him."

"Then go clear it."

The helmsmen glared at the blonde but finally stepped away from the helm. He locked the wheel in place and headed towards the stairs. Cloud waited until he had taken a step past him before whipping around and easily cutting his throat with swipe of his knife. The man made a gurgling sound before falling to the deck, dead. Cloud hurried to change the heading before locking the wheel back in place. He jumped over the dead man and met up with his friends at the boat.

"We ready?"

Yuffie jumped down from the crows nest and joined them, casually wiping blood off her dagger.

"All set," she announced.

"Let's go," Leon ordered. The girls and Riku climbed into the boat while the other three guys lowered it into the water. Riku managed to maneuver the oars into their places so they were ready as Leon, Cloud, and Cid climbed down the side of the boat to join them. It was a tight fit; Yuffie and Aerith were packed together with the food and water, Leon and Cloud sat next to each other manning the oars, leaving Riku next to Cid for the time being. Leon, Cloud, and Cid planned on rotating who rowed until they arrived at the islands. According to Cloud, Riku was still too weak to help.

"I hope this works," Aerith whispered as they moved away from the ship. "What about the rest of our crew?"

"They'll join Sephiroth," Leon answered. "They prefer his way of doing things to mine."

"Yes, they will get to slaughter people," Cloud snorted bitterly.

"Like you've never killed," Riku rolled his eyes.

"Not for pleasure," Cloud snapped and Riku felt a twinge of guilt. He covered it up by looking away into the water.

"Let's just hope we're out of sight before they notice we've left," Cid muttered gruffly. "I'm going to sleep. Wake me when it's my turn to row."

* * *

"I think I died again," Riku stated. He was hot and sweaty and felt like crap. With nothing to take his mind off his discomfort, Riku has resorted to whining to distract himself. 

"You can't die twice, Riku," Cloud sighed as he rowed the boat. Next to him, Cid rolled his eyes.

"I apparently can," Riku nodded. "Because I just did."

"You're not dead," Cloud ground out, his patience waning.

"How do you know?" Riku asked boredly. He was leaning back and staring at the sky with blank eyes. One hand casually dragged in the water.

"Because we are not dead," Cloud ground out. "And if you don't shut up about being dead, I will make that statement true."

"I don't care what you sa-OWE!"

Riku jerked his hand out of the water and quickly stuck his fingers in his mouth. He glared at the large fish currently flopping on the deck. The pirates stared at him in surprise before laughing loudly.

"Damn it," Riku cursed. "Why does every fish in this damn ocean seem to think I taste good?!"

Aerith and Yuffie threw the fish back into the water, ignoring Riku's desire to kill it. Things calmed down after that as Riku stopped insisting he was dead. The hours past by excruciatingly slow, and whoever wasn't rowing was usually somewhere between falling asleep and passing out. The intense heat from the sun bore down on the small lifeboat, burning the skin of its passenger's. Everyone was covered in red blisters from the unprotected exposure. Rowing was nothing short of torture, though no one complained. Cloud kept them on course, and assured everyone they were heading the right direction. However, even with his reassurances, it was hard not to be disappointed when the sun set the first day and they had not seen any sign of life or land.

During the night, only one person stayed awake to row. Riku was actually allowed to help by keeping watch and making sure they stayed on the right course. Riku was woken up by Leon, who tiredly ordered him not to fall asleep while he was supposed to be keeping watch. Riku didn't answer, but as soon as Leon was asleep, he threw water on him and blamed it on a wave.

Halfway into his shift, Riku felt something odd. He looked around at the dark, empty ocean but couldn't see anything other than water. The strange feeling was getting stronger though. At first it had just been a tickle on his skin, now it was like a full blown itch. Riku remembered what he had been taught about sensing his own people and put that training to good use.

It was coming from the direction they were heading; towards the Islands. It felt strong to Riku, but also diverse. Like there was more then one type of power, and he was sensing them all grouped together. Riku stared in the direction of the feeling and wished Sora was there to use his super sight ability.

It wasn't much later when Cloud stirred. Riku was still staring off into the distance, but spared a glance at the blonde.

"I can sense something," Riku said quietly.

Cloud nodded in agreement and stiffly sat up, trying not to hit someone. He glanced in the direction Riku was looking.

"They're Islanders," he said. "And they're heading straight towards us." Riku looked at Cloud hopefully, waiting for him to decide what to do next. "They're going pretty slow, though. Our ships rarely come this far out anymore. …Riku, give me your hand."

Riku did as he was told without question.

"I want you to focus on your power and imagine it floating away from you, towards that ship."

"What will that do?"

"It makes it easy for them to sense our presence," Cloud explained. "And, hopefully, they'll come and investigate."

Riku nodded and did as he was instructed. Next to him, he could sense Cloud doing the same thing, only with more control.

"This is also how you would hide your power," Cloud spoke after a moment. "But instead of imagining it floating away from you, you picture it staying tightly in your body."

Riku nodded in understanding. "They're getting closer," he said, "and it feels a lot faster then before."

"They've sensed us," Cloud smiled in relief. "They're coming to investigate." He moved to shake Leon, Cid, and the girls awake. The small group woke with groans of annoyance.

"What is it?" Leon demanded.

"We've been found," Riku grinned.

* * *

"Aye, what be going on on me ship now?" Duke grumbled as his first officer roused him from bed and said he was needed on deck. The moon was just starting to disappear and give way to the sun. The seasoned captain grumbled in irritation as he appeared on the main deck to see what was going on. 

The crew was helping a group of, what appeared to be, lost sailors. Instantly, Duke knew that the tall blonde and silver haired boy were of his people. The other four were obviously outsiders, but he didn't feel anything negative from them. Once the group was on board, he stomped forward, drawing the attention of his crew and the newcomers.

"Who ye be lettin' on me ship, mates?" He asked the sailors around them.

"Found them in the sea, Captain," Jack announced. "The water led us in this direction and the lookout sensed they're power." He gestured to the blonde and silver haired men.

"I see." He ignored the outsiders for a moment and stepped up to Riku and Cloud, frowning. He looked them up and down, noticing how weak they seemed, though the blonde hid it well. "What be ye names?"

"I am Cloud," Cloud answered, nodding his head in respect. "This is Riku."

A cheer went up from Jack and the few other sailors who had met Sora.

"Aye, shut up, the lot of ye!" Duke yelled over the laughing and cheers. The group looked at the sailors strangely. Duke noticed the faces and explained. "Sora ain't shut up about his precious friends since we met him."

A large smile spread across Riku's face and he was filled with a feeling of relief so great he wanted to jump around screaming for joy. Sora was okay. He was alive and healthy and worried about him. He let out a shaky breath and turned towards Cloud, his eyes sparkling. Cloud too, looked relieved at the news. He smiled back at Riku easily.

"Thank you," Cloud turned back to Duke. "That is the best news we've heard in a long time."

"Aye," Duke dismissed him with a casual wave of his hand. "Jack, see to it that they get rooms and some food. And get them something for the sun exposure." Jack nodded and stepped next to Cloud and Riku, gesturing for them to follow.

"Hey, what about…" Riku began, glancing over his shoulder at Leon and the others.

"Go rest, Riku," Leon ordered. "We'll be fine."

"Come on," Cloud nudged him forward. "Don't worry, we were expecting this. Leon knows what to do." With one last worried glance over his shoulder, Riku reluctantly followed Cloud to the bottom decks.

Once they were gone, Duke turned to Leon, studying him with a cold eye. Cid and the girls shifted slightly, waiting for someone to make the first move.

"If ye know Cloud there," Duke said at length. "Ye must know we do not allow outsiders to our lands."

"We do," Leon agreed. "We would like to request asylum."

Duke frowned at him. "And what makes ye think we'll grant ye that?"

"Because you are, by nature, a peaceful people. If you say no, we'll be back in that little lifeboat and lost at sea. We'll eventually run out of food and water and die. You'll become murders."

Duke snorted in disdain. "Planned this all real good, didn't ye, boy?"

Leon frowned at the "boy" comment but decided against arguing.

"Fine," Duke finally grumbled. "We'll take ye back to the Islands with us. The Prince and Lord of the Gates shall decide your fate. Until then, ye are to be considered prisoners. Men!" Duke gestured to his sailors who rushed forward, weapons drawn. Yuffie made a move to fight back, but Leon stopped her.

"Don't," he told them. "Give them your weapons and don't fight back. We're at the disadvantage now."

Reluctantly, the other three complied with his orders and handed over their weapons. The sailors moved to bind their hands, but Duke waved them off.

"Just put lock them in one of the lower rooms and post a guard," he ordered. "And give them something for the sun exposure as well."

The sailors stared at him like he was crazy, but one dark glare from the captain had them running about like headless chickens, scrambling to obey.

"We be arriving at the Islands tomorrow," Duke informed them. "Ye are not to leave ye room till then."

Leon nodded his agreement and didn't protest as the sailors locked them away.

* * *

Riku casually strolled on the deck the next afternoon. His skin was covered in a cool paste that made his sunburn bearable, so long as he didn't pick at the red blisters. He had been warned by Cloud not to visit the others and the blonde himself was currently meeting with Captain Duke. Riku wandered about the deck, feeling restless. Knowing that, in mere hours, he was going to be back with Sora again made it impossible for him to sit still. He leaned against the railing at stared out at sea, hoping to catch a glimpse of land. 

"Bored, Trappling?" A voice behind him asked. Riku turned and recognized Jack from last night.

"Just excited," he admitted "I can't sit still."

"Ah," Jack smiled. "Because you're finally coming home or because you're finally coming back to Sora?"

Riku half smiled. "A little bit of both, I guess. So you've met Sora?"

"Ah," Jack nodded. "I was one of the sailors who pulled him and another Trapped out of the water."

"Another Trapped?" Riku asked.

"Vincent, I believe his name was," Jack told him. "If it weren't for him, Sora probably would have drowned."

"And I'm supposed to be thankful?" Riku snapped. "If it wasn't for him Sora never would…" He cut himself off, not wanting to reveal his boyfriend's secrets. "Never mind."

Jack looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "I don't know what happened to make you hate Vincent so much," he began, "but as far as I'm concerned, when someone saves the life of someone I love, I say thanks."

"Maybe…" Riku sighed. "But I probably won't. I just can't bring myself to forgive him, even if Sora can." Riku shook his head of the depressing thoughts. "But Sora's okay, right? He's on the Islands and he's safe?"

"Ah," Jack nodded with a smile. "Last I knew, he was staying with Prince Roxas himself in the castle. I'm sure he'll be there to greet us."

"I can't wait…" Riku smiled.

* * *

"I can understand ye wanting to come back home," Duke muttered, pacing around his cabin. "What I don't understand is why ye brought outsiders with ye. Them boys don't know nuthin' about us, so Sora and Riku would be excused. Ye though, won't be." 

"I realize that," Cloud sighed.

"Not going to offer any excuses?"

"Why should I?" Cloud shrugged. "I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I did it anyways."

"Ye got ye reasons, then?"

"I do," Cloud nodded. "And if they mean anything, that is for Lord Gates and the Prince to decide."

"Aye," Duke agreed.

* * *

"LAND HO!" 

The loud shout brought the two to their feet and heading up to the deck. Cloud joined an eager Riku at the bow of the ship and watched as his home became larger and larger. His heart felt light with relief as Cloud finally realized he was home. He had left this place years ago to find adventure. How ironic was it that coming back had been the greatest adventure he'd ever been on? Cloud sighed and smiled as the dock came into view, the dockhands waiting for the ship to land.

Suddenly, Riku gripped Cloud's arm tightly. Cloud followed the teen's wide gaze to the shore. There, sitting amongst the royalty, was Sora. The brunette was on his feet and looking straight at Riku. Cloud gently patted Riku's hand.

It took far too long to tie the ship off and anchor it down. Riku didn't even wait for the walking plank to be lowered before jumping over the side onto the deck. He hadn't even managed two steps before Sora was practically flying into his arms.

"I love you," was the first thing the brunette said.

Riku could have laughed at the greeting if he wasn't so happy to be back with Sora. "I love you, too."

They simply held each other, forgetting about everything around them. The world melted away until they could only see each other. A hand on Riku's shoulder brought them back to reality and Riku smiled at Cloud. Sora grinned widely and jumped onto the taller blonde.

"Cloud!" He yelled, swinging one arm around his neck. The other arm was still connected to Riku. "You're okay!"

"Of course," Cloud assured.

"What about the others?"

Cloud looked back towards the ship where Leon, Cid, and the girls were being led off. They were still technically prisoners, but the four didn't try to run or cause a fuss. They allowed themselves to be led to where Prince Roxas was sitting.

"I need to be there for this," Cloud informed the teens, gesturing towards Leon and others. "I suppose it would be pointless to tell you two to stay out of trouble?" He didn't wait for an answer and left, ruffling Sora's hair on the way.

"Are you okay?" Sora asked, turning to Riku after Cloud had left.

"Just a little red from the sun," Riku assured him. "How are you doing?"

"A lot better now," Sora admitted. He glanced around and realized no one was watching them anymore. They were all staring at the newcomers talking to the Prince. "Come on." Sora grabbed Riku's hand and, with the skill of two street raised kids, they disappeared without a trace into the crowds.

* * *

"Where are we, Sora?" Riku asked curiously. 

"It's the forest near the castle," Sora explained. "Roxas brought me out here once to hide from Lord Axel."

"Who's he?"

"Roxas' suitor," Sora giggled. "Roxas hates him."

"Sounds entertaining," Riku smiled. "So what are we doing out here?"

"It's private," Sora explained. "No one ever comes out here."

"You want to be alone with me, Sora?" Riku whispered, nuzzling against his neck. Sora bit his lip and moved away so he could look Riku in the eye.

"I haven't been able to get you off my mind," he admitted quietly. "Ever since we were split up, I've only been thinking about you. Everyone kept saying not to worry, that I would _know_ if something bad had happened to you, but…"

"But there was still that little piece of doubt deep in your heart that made you question yourself," Riku finished for him. Sora stared up at the teen with wide eyes.

"How did you…?"

"Because everyone's been saying the exact same thing to me," Riku admitted. "I never stopped thinking about you either. I never stopped calling your name, Sora."

Sora leaned in to kiss him lovingly. "I love you so much, Riku."

"I love you too, Sora," Riku sighed, returning the kiss.

**Warning Adult Content: A.K.A. Lemon**

Riku was content to keep things innocent, he didn't want to pressure Sora, but Sora wanted more. He scooted forward more and licked Riku's lips, silently asking for entrance. Riku was surprised, but didn't hesitate opening his mouth and allowing Sora in. Soon, the two were sliding their tongues together, each trying to win dominance and neither caring when they couldn't. Sora's hands ghosted down Riku's chest, making the teen shiver. His hands came to a stop on his hips as Riku finally broke the kiss, panting slightly.

"Sora…?"

"All I've been thinking about is you," Sora murmured. "The thought of losing you forever made my heart hurt so much I wanted to die."

"You're not going to lose me, Sora," Riku said determinedly.

Sora shook his head. "I've already lost you twice."

"And there's not going to be a third time!" Riku insisted. He kissed his boyfriend strongly. "I won't allow it. I'll never let you go!"

"Prove it?" Sora asked quietly. "Riku…will you have me?"

"Sora…?"

"I want you to be my first," Sora told him. "My _real_ first."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked, staring at him lovingly.

"Yes," Sora stated clearly. "I'm ready to move on, Riku. I want to be with you and only you. Now and forever."

Riku kissed him sweetly. "I would be honored to be your first," he whispered.

He gently kissed Sora, trying to say without words how much he loved him. Sora moaned quietly. He could sense the passion behind the innocent kiss and though it scared him, he was willing to face his fears if it meant becoming Riku's once and for all.

Riku carefully removed both their shirts and laid them down on the ground. It wasn't much, but it would be better than nothing. He returned his attention to Sora and slowly began kissing his way from his boyfriend's mouth, down his neck, towards his chest. Sora wrapped his fingers in Riku's hair, closing his eyes and just letting himself feel the sensations Riku was giving him.

Riku loved the feeling of Sora's hands in his hair and allowed himself a brief smile. He kissed his way down Sora's chest, stopping to suck on each nipple until they were hard and red. Sora moaned and squirmed at the attention. He lay back down on their shirts so Riku was on top. Riku didn't mind the new position and continued to move lower, swirling his tongue in Sora's bellybutton. Sora squirmed even more and giggled slightly.

Riku's hands carefully untied the drawstring on Sora's pants, but he stopped before removing them. He stared up at Sora and waited until the brunette opened his eyes and looked at him.

"Are you sure?" He asked quietly.

Sora just smiled and nodded. He could tell the difference now, between Riku and Sephiroth, and felt ashamed for ever thinking they looked alike. Riku's eyes were softer and deeper. They didn't have the pirate's coldness but instead a light twinkle with just a hint of Riku's mischievous side. That was what Sora wanted and he wasn't going to let anything scare him away again.

Once the rest of Sora's clothes were gone, Riku quickly kicked his off as well. He lay on top of Sora and kissed him again, smiling when Sora kissed back eagerly. With teasing fingers, Riku gently began stroking the other boy's erection, bringing it to full attention. Sora whined at the gentle, teasing strokes and thrust his hips forward, wanting more.

Riku smiled at the wanton noises his boyfriend was making. Instead of giving him what he wanted, Riku reached behind Sora and gently and slowly inserted one finger into his tiny hole. Sora bit his lip and squirmed. He opened his eyes and stared at Riku, completely trusting.

"Don't worry," Riku whispered, "It won't hurt for long. Promise."

"I trust you," Sora sighed. He tensed for a moment as Riku added a second finger, but forced himself to relax. There was a flash of pain as a third finger was added and Riku began stretching him.

"Are you okay?"

"Mmm," Sora nodded.

Soon all the pain was gone and Sora couldn't help but moan at Riku's ministrations. Riku smiled and brushed that special spot, making Sora's hips buck and back arch as he cried out, wrapping his arms around Riku.

"Beautiful," Riku muttered into his ear. Sora blushed a cheery red.

He removed his fingers and Sora pouted slightly at the loss. Riku just smiled and kissed the look away. He paused for a moment, before making up his mind and crawling on top of Sora. He sat over Sora's face and the brunette didn't need to be told what to do. He took Riku in his mouth and began sucking gently.

Riku barely managed to keep his head enough to remember to not sit on Sora and accidentally hurt him. Sora's mouth around him felt so incredible. The younger boy kept sucking, using his hands to touch where his mouth couldn't reach. He could feel Riku's body tensing and began to suck hard.

"No…"

Riku stopped him and pulled away, making Sora confused. The silver head just smiled and kissed him quickly on the nose. He positioned himself lower, so that his now wet (with Sora's saliva) erection was positioned at the boy's entrance.

"Ready?" He asked.

Sora nodded and kissed him, saying without words that he was prepared.

Staring at Sora with nothing but love reflecting in his eyes, Riku slowly forced his way in. Sora tensed and whimpered but refused to cry. He gripped Riku's arms and tried to relax as Riku entered him fully. For a moment, they both stayed still, panting quietly. Then Riku began to move and pulled almost all the way out, before pushing back in.

As Sora adjusted to Riku's size, the pain ebbed away and gave way to bliss. He wrapped his legs around Riku's waist, wanting him deeper. Sora screamed in pleasure when Riku managed to his special spot. After that, Riku was careful to always hit that spot.

Neither one lasted long and, much too soon, they both felt the other reaching their end. Riku picked up his pace, driving into Sora hard and steady. Sora kept calling out his boyfriend's name, getting louder and louder as he was about to reach his climax. Riku reached between them and began pumping Sora's neglected erection in time with his thrusts. Sora couldn't handle the stimulation anymore and cried loudly as he came. Riku's name spilled from his lips like a mantra.

Feeling Sora's muscles tighten around him was enough to bring Riku to his completion as well. He gave two more hard thrusts before he was coming hard in Sora's body. The two didn't release each other until the very end and Riku collapsed next to Sora. After a long minute, he pulled out of his lover and moved closer to Sora.

"That was…amazing," Sora panted. He stared up at Riku with adoration.

"I am pretty good, aren't I?" Riku teased. Sora laughed and playfully punched him. "Ah, I love you, Sora."

"I love you too, Riku," Sora said back, wrapping himself around Riku as tight as he could. "Now you can never be taken away from me again. You'll always be a part of me and I'll always be a part of you. We're stuck with each other."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Riku smiled.

They both fell asleep together, for once not worried about the other's safety. They were together and back in each other's arms, where they belonged. As Sora had said and Riku had agreed, the two teens would never be apart again.

* * *

**(1) Asylum: It's something that gives you political protection from unjust persecution. In Leon's case, he's asking for protection from the Islanders so that they don't like…kill him and his crew for being outsiders and forbidden to be on the islands. It's not a permanent thing, and will only protect them until Roxas decides what he's going to do about them. You'll see that next chapter. **

* * *

**A/N: Geh! I hate writing lemons. They make me so embarrassed. Not to mention I haven't written one in forever. Oh well, it's done now. And I can pretend it never happened. What can I say, what can I say…? This chapter was fun because Sora and Riku are finally together again. And, as far as I've planned, they won't be split up again. And I remembered that people get sunburned when they stay out in the water too long. A reviewer pointed that out to me, so I was sure to add it into this chapter.**

**I'm going to have to bring the bad guys back next chapter, aren't I? Sephiroth's going to be pissed when he finds out what Cloud did. Go Cloud. Uh yeah, that's all, by!!**


	25. Sacred

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Sacred**

"You've broken one of our most sacred laws," Roxas frowned as he stared at the blonde, Cloud, before him. "We are never to bring outsiders to our home."

"I had no way to get back," Cloud defended himself. "I had to rely on outsider help."

"The water would have led you," Roxas countered.

Cloud stared at his Prince sadly. They were sitting in a carriage on their way to meet Lord Gates. Leon and the others were in another carriage behind them under strict guard.

"The water on the outside is nearly dead, my Lord," Cloud informed him sadly. Roxas sat up straighter at the announcement, staring at Cloud in disbelief. "The closer to land one is, the less life you can sense. No one on the outside knows of the water's life and does not respect it. The only time the water comes alive is to create destructive storms and seek its revenge."

"The water is peaceful," Roxas denied, "and beautiful. It would never purposefully harm someone who loved it!"

"The people do not love it," Cloud countered. "They may say they love the sea and enjoy playing in the water, but never do they show that love like we do. They mistreat the water, pollute it, throw their dead and murdered into its depths."

Roxas turned away and looked out the window at the passing scenery. He couldn't even begin to imagine what Cloud was saying. How could anyone mistreat something as beautiful and important as the ocean? He had to be exaggerating things.

The rest of the ride was silent. Roxas was relieved when he saw the towering castle appear before them. The carriage took them as far as the doors and stopped. Roxas and Cloud climbed out of the carriages and waited as the others were led out.

Roxas turned to the guards. "You can go back to the city now," he told them. "I will take it from here."

"But my Prince…" One guard began to argue.

"They will not run," Roxas interrupted. "You know the laws; you may not enter this castle." He smiled reassuringly at his guards. "Do not worry; I'll be fine. I'll send for you when we're finished."

"Yes, milord." The guards bowed, casting suspicious glares at the outsiders before leaving.

Once they were gone, Roxas turned to the still-bound pirates. "I'll take those off when we get into the castle. Don't try anything; it's spelled to prevent any type of violence from taking place inside its walls."

"We have no intention of violence," Leon stated.

"Speak for yourself," Yuffie growled, tugging at her restraints in annoyance.

Roxas frowned at the girl, and she yelped as the ropes tightened around her wrists. She looked at Roxas in anger and surprise.

"Please, do not try to escape," Roxas said clearly. "I do not wish to hurt you."

Yuffie glared angrily at him but Roxas simply turned and started walking. Cloud and the others followed without another word.

The castle gates opened without any help as they approached. Roxas led the way into the courtyard. Waiting for them was Vincent. His long black hair and pale skin looked out of place amongst the luscious garden and colorful flowers surrounding them. The group stopped short as they came level with him.

"I was under the impression you were watching Sora," Roxas frowned.

"He would not appreciate my presence right now," Vincent replied. "He is safe."

"Hm," Roxas frowned at him. "Where is Merlin?"

"He's waiting for you in the Prayer Room," Vincent stepped aside, bowing slightly to the prince.

Roxas continued into the castle and up many winding staircases. Vincent hadn't followed the group, for which Cloud was grateful. He wasn't sure everyone could keep their tempers in check when around the man. He wasn't sure _he_ could keep his temper in check around him.

Roxas pushed open two large doors and stood aside to let everyone in. The blonde removed the restraints as the pirates walked past him. At the far end of the room, an old man with a long beard sat, leaning against his staff. He stared solemnly at the newcomers.

Roxas took a seat next to Merlin while Cloud sat on one of the cushions before them. He glanced over his shoulder and gestured the rest of his friends to sit on the other cushions placed on the floor. Once everyone was settled, Merlin spoke, addressing Cloud.

"I have not seen you since your teenage years," Merlin began, "I had almost given up hope on you ever returning to us."

"It was not an easy task," Cloud admitted. "Especially after the gates closed."

"It was necessary to protect ourselves," Roxas interrupted, scowling. "My father made the right choice in closing the gates."

Cloud frowned at the young prince. "Even if it meant trapping our own people on the outside?"

"The water will lead them home," Roxas insisted stubbornly.

Cloud shook his head. "And what about the half breeds? The children born from our people and outsiders? What about kids like Sora and Riku? Their parents died before they could even tell them the truth about their heritage! _I_ had to tell them!"

"Those are unfortunate consequences," Roxas agreed. "But sometimes you must sacrifice the few for the many. It's horrible that some of us were stuck on the outside, but most of us are safe now."

"Safe from what?" Cloud demanded angrily. "The outsiders think we're fairytales! And even if they did believe in us, they would never be able to find us!"

"And now they will never look either!" Roxas yelled back. "They'll never kill our royalty again!"

"Enough," Merlin interrupted firmly. Roxas glared mutinously at him but obediently stayed quiet. Cloud, too, stopped talking. "Whether or not closing the gates was a good or bad decision is a mute point now. It has already been done. What we must do now is not dwell on the past, but focus on the present." He pinned Cloud with a hard look. "You have brought outsiders to our islands."

"Yes."

"That is a great crime. Not only have you made yourself an outlaw, but now we must decide what to do with those who you brought."

Cloud glanced over his shoulder at Leon and the others. They had remained silent during the small argument but now sat up straight and paid close attention.

"There is no crime on our islands, so we have no jails. Death either occurs by accident or natural causes; our people do not know capital punishment. No outsider has stepped foot on our land for uncountable years."

"In other words," Roxas grumbled. "We don't know what to do with them. We can't let them go because they know where we're located. We have no plans in place for this type of thing." He glared accusingly at Cloud. "We never expected this law to be broken." Cloud returned his glare with a steady gaze.

"You don't honestly expect us to stay here for the rest of our lives, do you?" Yuffie suddenly yelled, standing up angrily.

"I'm with the brat," Cid growled, chewing on his ever-present toothpick. "I may not have much of a life back home, but I still got one. I ain't staying just 'cause you freaks are paranoid bastards."

Roxas narrowed his eyes angrily at the two. The cuffs lying by the door suddenly twitched. They flew through the air and wrapped themselves tightly around Cid's and Yuffie's mouths. The two scratched at the restraints in shock, their eyes wide and angry.

"Your opinions are not required in this matter," Roxas shrugged casually.

"Prince!" Cloud exclaimed. He and Leon pinned Yuffie's hands to her side so she wouldn't scratch herself. Aerith was doing the same for Cid.

"Roxas!" Merlin scolded. "That was uncalled for."

"What? It's not like they can't breathe or something," Roxas pouted. "All I did was cover their mouths so they couldn't talk."

"Roxas, remove those cuffs," Merlin ordered. The teen prince sighed and narrowed his eyes at the two. The cuffs fell uselessly to the floor.

"Why you spoiled little–" Yuffie began. Roxas glared at her and the cuffs on the floor rattled threateningly.

"Roxas, enough," Merlin repeated. "They are guests."

"They are outsiders."

"That does not mean you may disrespect them," Merlin sighed. "This was a mistake."

"What?"

"You are obviously not mature enough to handle this type of situation."

"Excuse me?!" Roxas demanded, jumping to his feet.

"It is my own fault. You handle our people so well; sometimes I forget you are only fourteen and grew up surrounded by old prejudices."

"What?" Yuffie screamed. "That little brat is five years younger than me?! And he's in charge?!"

"So what if I'm only fourteen," Roxas growled. "You are so annoying."

"Why you little–"

"Children, please," Merlin shook his head. He stood up, leaning heavily on his staff. "Roxas, I'm afraid you can not be objective in this matter. Your mother and father will be returning home in two days and we shall discuss the matter with them."

"And until then?' Cloud asked.

"Until then, the outsiders will remain in this castle with me. Is that satisfactory?"

"We'll agree to that," Leon nodded.

"Not like you got much of a choice," Roxas mumbled under his breath. Louder, he said, "Fine Merlin, they're your responsibility." The blonde jumped from his chair. "I have other things to deal with."

"Lord Axel is out on a fishing expedition. He won't be back for a few hours."

Roxas flushed brightly. "Why would I care about him?!" Without another word, the prince stomped from the room.

"He is being courted?" Cloud asked in surprise. Merlin chuckled.

"It's rather amusing to watch."

* * *

Sora stirred, opening his eyes slowly. He flinched and groaned from the bright light, wanting it to go away. Above him, Riku chuckled. He placed a hand over Sora's eyes, allowing him to adjust to the light easier.

"What time is it?" Sora asked.

"Got me," Riku shrugged. "After noon."

"We should get up," Sora whispered. "I still want to see the others."

"Okay," Riku agreed. "Any idea where they are?"

Sora sat up, shifting around until he was semi-comfortable on the ground. "I thought you knew."

"I think Cloud mentioned something about meeting a prince and some lord guy."

"Roxas and the Lord of the Gates," Sora supplied. "I never actually met him but Roxas is awesome."

"Wow, a real prince," Riku teased. "I've heard you got to stay at the palace and everything."

Sora grinned widely. "Yup," he watched as Riku crawled around, gathering their clothes. "It's so much fun. And Roxas has been taking me around the city to meet people. Everyone's so nice."

"It's just like Cloud said, paradise," Riku pulled Sora to his feet, kissing him briefly before handing the boy his clothes.

"What's with the fancy clothes?" Riku asked, noticing the nice shirt and new pants.

"Roxas had them made for me," Sora explained. "He made me an entire new wardrobe."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope. He's really into that kind of thing."

"Sweet. If someone gives you something free…"

"Take it and run, before they change their minds," Sora finished with a smile. "I remember." He kissed him once more, shaking his head. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Riku finished pulling on his shirt. He watched as Sora slipped his shirt over his head and waited for his face to be covered. Once the shirt was half on, Riku jumped forward and tickled his stomach, making Sora squeal and squirm away. The brunette pulled his shirt down and playfully kicked at Riku.

"Let's go," Sora ordered.

The two linked hands and left the woods together. They traded stories as they walked, explaining what had happened since they were apart. Sora couldn't believe Ansem and felt a great swelling of hate for the pirate for trying to kill Riku.

"We need to tell Roxas as soon we see him," Sora mused. "We probably should have said something earlier."

"We were a little busy," Riku smirked. Sora blushed but returned his boyfriend's cocky grin.

"I hope they're not still with Lord Gates. His castle is pretty far away. I don't think I know the way either," Sora sighed.

"I'm sure someone at the castle will know how to get a message to him," Riku assured. "Speaking of which…"

The trees parted, revealing the large, stone castle of the royal family. It wasn't nearly as extravagant as the castles in the outside world, but its beauty lay in its simplicity. The doors were made of polished wood and the walls decorated with a vast variety of art. Vines and flowers twisted around the castle walls, kept healthy and lush by numerous gardeners. Villagers came and went freely; whether they were doing business or just looking around and playing. One small family with three children was even having a picnic under a fully bloomed apple-blossom tree.

"It's beautiful," Riku commented as he looked around.

"Yeah, I think so too," Sora smiled. He waved at some people walking by, calling out hellos to his new found friends.

"Let's go find the Prince," Riku suggested.

"And why would you be looking for _my_ prince?"

Riku and Sora whipped around and came face to face with none other than Axel. Riku lifted an eyebrow as he looked the eccentric redhead up and down.

"Hey Axel," Sora greeted, dropping the title. Roxas had ordered him to stop being so polite to the pushy lord. "Why did you tell Roxas you wouldn't be back until later when you're actually here rather early?"

"Because if I told him the truth, he would run and hide before I could find him," Axel explained easily. "This way, he's not expecting me back for a few more hours, which means his guard will be down."

"And you can pounce on him when he least expects it," Sora guessed the rest. "You're so mean, Axel."

"Did I mention how fun you are?" Axel teased, flicking Sora's forehead. "Who's your friend?"

Sora stopped pouting at the flick and grinned widely. "This is Riku. Riku, this is Lord Axel."

"Another Trapped?" Axel exclaimed dramatically. "How many more of you are there going to be?"

"One-thousand…"

"Two-hundred…"

"Twenty-three…"

"And a half," Riku and Sora finished together with a straight faces.

Axel looked between the two. "1223…and a half? How can there be half a person?"

"It's a baby, duh," Sora returned the flick from earlier.

"Well aren't you two peas in a pod," Axel laughed. "Well, come on then."

"Where?" Sora asked as Axel started walking inside.

"You wanted to see Roxas, right? He should be back by now…"

Riku and Sora shrugged at each other and hurried to follow the redhead.

* * *

"This is bad," Roxas stated.

He, Riku, Sora, and Axel were sitting in Roxas' room in the castle. Sora had introduced Riku and the two had proceeded to tell Roxas everything about Ansem and Sephiroth. The prince was far from happy and sat on a cushion, crossed legged, as he thought.

"I…I deal with the people," Roxas admitted at length. "I don't have the authority to declare emergencies. Stuff like this is for my parents."

"Where are they?" Riku asked.

"Gone. They won't be back for two days."

"Well then, you're just going to have to step up to the plate," Riku dismissed. "We don't have two days."

"Riku's right," Sora agreed. "For all we know, Ansem's here already."

Roxas nodded in agreement and sighed. "I'd ask Merlin, but he doesn't leave his castle for anything anymore."

"Why not?"

"It's believed that if the Lord of the Gates leaves the castle, the walls surrounding us fall. We'll be open to the outside world again," Axel supplied seriously. He was sitting on a table near Roxas.

"We've got to do something!" Riku insisted.

"We should get Cloud and the others," Sora suggested.

"There's no time for that," Roxas shook his head. "There are only three places on this island where you can safely dock a ship. The largest is where most ships dock and the second is where we keep the larger ships that we don't really use anymore. But the third place is on the opposite side of the island, where no one goes."

"There are a lot of superstitions about the forests and a lot of monsters live there. It's a dangerous place to be so most islanders are smart enough to avoid it," Axel elaborated.

"That's perfect!" Riku exclaimed. "No one would see him or his ship. And since he's not a true D.I., no one would be able to sense him either."

Axel snorted, trying to cover up his laughter. "Heh, D.I., how corny is that?"

"It's an abbreviation, Axel," Roxas snapped. "Now shut up, we have more important things to worry about."

"Whatever you say, Prince D.I.," the redhead snickered again.

"We don't have time to get anyone's help," Roxas decided. "I know the way."

"And if Ansem is there?" Sora demanded. "What are we supposed to do?"

"You could kick him in the shin," Axel teased. The brunette glared at him.

"We'll come back for help," Roxas continued. "But let's make sure he's actually here before we send everyone into a panic."

"Fine," Riku stood. "Lead the way."

* * *

**A/N: Um…nothing to say. Chapter is up, life is okay…My favorite part was with Roxas and Yuffie arguing. Can you guys guess Roxas' power now? Besides be able to read people.**

**Oh yeah, as for Roxas only being fourteen and being courted by Axel. Back in the time period this story is set in, that stuff was common. So I didn't worry too much about it. And I needed Rox to be younger than Sora for a couple reasons.**

**I guess that's all. Until next time everyone, bye!!**


	26. Dark Creatures

**Yay! After being on hold for months, Treasure is now back! Heartless Vs Nobody ended rather successfully and now this story is my number one focus.**

…**My fave line this chapter is when Cloud says, "I would rather say yes."**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Dark Creatures**

Cloud stood looking out a window in one of the highest towers the castle had to offer. Merlin had given everyone their own rooms and treated them like guests, even though they were, technically, prisoners. Yuffie was eating up the attention and enjoying bossing the servants around. Aerith kept her in check, for the most part. Cid was seen prowling the halls, muttering curses under his breath. He didn't like being locked in. Leon would periodically check up on what was left of his crew but, for the most part, stayed with Cloud in their room.

Leon had just finished scolding Yuffie when he returned to find Cloud staring out the window thoughtfully. He closed the door and stepped up behind the man he had fallen in love with. With no one around to witness, he let his arms slide around Cloud's waist and smiled when Cloud fell back into his touch.

"Won't your people hate you for this relationship?" Leon asked out of curiosity.

"Of course," Cloud sighed. **(1)**

"You can always say no," Leon whispered, his lips tracing the curve of the blonde's neck.

"I would rather say yes," Cloud replied easily, kissing the other man back. "I love them dearly, but I love you just as much, if not more."

"Honestly?" Leon asked, looking him deep in the eye. "We have never been together and I do not know for sure if I have all of your heart."

"You're worried about my feelings for Sephiroth?" Cloud frowned at him. "I've told you before, Leon, a small piece of me will always love him, but only because he was my first love. If I had to choose today between you and he, I would not hesitate to be with you. It is not a hard choice."

Leon allowed a brief smile at the words, kissing the blonde once more. "I would make the same choice."

Cloud laughed. "I should hope so." A shiver ran down his spine and Leon pulled him closer.

"What is it?"

"Just a bad feeling," the blonde muttered. "Sora and Riku are doing something stupid."

"When are they not?" Leon grumbled.

"True," Cloud sighed. "But this time, it's going to cause everyone trouble, not just us." He sighed again, this time in frustration. "I will never have children."

Now it was Leon who laughed. "Too late for that. You adopted those two the minute you decide to let Riku live when you first met."

"Don't remind me," Cloud mumbled.

"Are you going to go after them? You are allowed to leave," Leon pointed out.

Cloud just shook his head. "Wherever they are, they're too far for me to get to in time to stop them. Might as well let things play out. Maybe it'll teach them a lesson." Suddenly, his cheeks tinted a light red and he looked up into Leon's eyes. "Besides, we have never been together."

"Cloud…"

He said nothing more as Cloud pressed his lips to Leon's, kissing him with all the love and passion he could gather. Overwhelmed, Leon fell back onto the bed, dragging Cloud with him.

Alone, hidden away in secluded tower, Leon and Cloud finally became one.

* * *

"I think Cloud knows we're doing something bad," Sora commented as he followed Roxas through the dense brush of the forest.

"Why?" Riku asked curiously. His eyes were constantly darting around, looking for threats.

"Don't know, I just had a feeling," Sora shrugged.

"He probably does," Roxas spoke up. Axel was ahead of him, a cruel looking sword at his side. "You two have a strong connection, right?"

"Yes," Sora nodded.

"Well, if you don't know how to close that connection–"

"I don't."

"—then he can sense when you're doing something you shouldn't be. It's how parents keep track of their kids when they're younger. But once you grow up, you can learn how to shield the connection so they aren't monitoring your every move."

"I see," Sora nodded. "That's interesting."

"That's something we'll have to learn," Riku muttered, thinking about what he and Sora had been doing earlier. He really hoped Cloud hadn't sensed that.

"It's not hard," Roxas assured.

"Quiet," Axel snapped.

Obediently, everyone stopped talking. Riku silently made his way to Axel's side while Sora and Roxas hung back.

"What?" Riku breathed near Axel's ear.

"We're being followed," Axel hissed, just as quiet. "I can't tell by what."

Riku glanced at Sora and tapped his eye. Sora nodded, understanding the message and turned to look where Axel was directing. His eyes blurred and the trees rushed towards him. Sora glanced around, a frown on his face.

"It's too dark," he whispered. "I can only see—holy!"

Sora let out a yelp and stumbled back, falling on his butt. Riku hurried to his side, asking if he was alright.

"Riku, down!" Axel suddenly shouted.

Riku didn't hesitate and pushed Sora down, covering him with his own body. They heard a smack as Axel hit something with his sword. There was a thud and then some loud pitched clicking.

"The tree!" Roxas yelled. "It went into the tree, Axel!"

Riku sat up. "What did?" He demanded. He pulled out a small dagger Roxas had given him before they left, ready to spring into action.

"I don't know what it was," Roxas admitted. He pulled Sora to his feet and the two stood back to back as Axel and Riku stalked the tree.

"It's black and I think the eyes were yellow," Axel described.

The clicking was back again and the leaves of the tree shook. Axel threw a small knife into the branches and heard it hit the trunk. The clicking took on an angry pitch.

"Wait," Riku ordered. "I know that sound…" He stepped under a branch and tried to see in the darkness. "Bug?" He called uncertainly.

The clicking stopped.

"Bug, is that you?" Riku repeated.

The clicking started again and a shadow climbed down the tree, appearing from the ground like the shadows it resembled. Bug stood before Riku, swaying uncertainly and clicking softly.

"It is!" Riku exclaimed, putting his dagger away. "Bug!" He moved forward and swept the creature into his arms, noticing right away how cold he was. "Don't be scared, Bug. You're okay now." The creature began to warm up slightly.

"Bug?" Sora asked. "As in the little thing that helped you escape from Ansem? I thought you said it was killed."

"I thought he was," Riku admitted. "He was thrown overboard."

"What _is_ it?" Roxas asked, hesitantly coming forward.

"I'm not sure," Riku admitted. "Ansem says its pure darkness given physical form. He has an entire ship of these things under his control. For some reason, though, Bug decided to help me."

"It has no aurora," Roxas frowned. "I've never seen anything without an aurora before."

"Maybe it does have one," Axel mused. "It's just as black as the creature so you can't see it. Black means bad, right?"

Roxas nodded while Riku frowned. "Bug isn't bad."

"Not saying he was," Axel mused. He reached out and tried to poke the creature, confused when his finger passed right through it.

"He does that when he's not comfortable around you," Riku explained. "You can't touch him."

"Weird," Axel muttered. The others agreed.

"Maybe, but I owe this little guy a lot," Riku smiled as Bug clicked happily. He glanced at Sora. "Want to hold him?"

"Will he let me?" Sora asked, stepping forward. Bug clicked once as Riku gently passed him over. Sora cooed at the adorable black creature.

"He's so cute!" He exclaimed. Bug clicked as Sora snuggled him. "Oh! Let's keep him! His name's Bug, then?"

"Yeah, because he looks and sounds like a giant bug," Riku explained. He poked at the little creature. "See, I told ya Sora would spoil you." Bug clicked happily, settling down in Sora's arms comfortably.

"This must mean we're getting close," Axel spoke up. Roxas moved towards Sora and petted Bug curiously.

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "We need to be extra careful."

"Right," Axel nodded. "Roxas, stay behind me."

"Sora, stay between us," Riku ordered, taking his place in the back.

The four started out again quietly and more cautious than before. Axel walked with his sword drawn, as did Riku. Roxas was constantly reaching out with his sixth sense, trying to sense anything out of the ordinary. Sora had switched one eye to use his far-sight, but was having trouble seeing anything through the dense trees.

They continued on in silence until coming upon the end of the forest. Axel and Riku waved at the younger teens to stay hidden in the trees while he and Riku crawled on the ground towards the edge of a large cliff. Keeping their heads down, the two carefully peered over the ledge at the water below.

"There," Axel pointed to a cove a little ways from the bottom of the cliff. "That a ship?"

"Yeah," Riku agreed. "Sora could see it."

"Keep him low," Axel ordered. Riku crawled back to the trees and beckoned Sora forward. Roxas followed, laying down next to Axel while Riku and Sora peered over the edge.

"I can see Ansem," Sora announced. "He's on the ship with some…green lady?"

"His first officer," Riku supplied. "Millicent or something."

"There are a lot of things like Bug, too," Sora informed them. "They're not just on the ship, but the shores as well. It looks like their searching for something."

"Like what?" Roxas asked in confusion. "There's nothing here to search."

"Nothing you know about, that is, Little Prince."

The four boys whipped around, finding none other than Ansem himself standing behind them. Thirty of the strange black creatures stood behind him, all swaying or floating and holding weapons of some sort. Axel and Riku were on their feet, protecting Sora and Roxas without a second thought. In Sora's arms, Bug had become cold as ice.

"But how?" Sora gasped, turning back to the ship. "I can see you right there!"

"An illusion," Ansem smiled. "To distract any foolish enough to follow me." He turned a wicked look to Riku. "Survived, did you? I suppose the water didn't want to disobey its true Prince."

"What?" Roxas demanded.

Ansem just smirked. "Well, I only need one of royal blood, but it never hurts to have a spare. And those eyes may just come in handy." He waved at the black things behind him. "Take the two princes, kill the other two. They are worthless."

"Roxas down!" Axel yelled as the black things charged at them without warning. He brought up his sword and managed to stop one but three more flew past him. "No!"

Roxas dove out of the way of the oncoming creatures. He threw his hand out as a blast of pure light shot from his palm. One creature screamed in agony and disappeared. However, a second creature appeared behind the first and swiped at Roxas with a clawed hand. Riku was there to help and struck at it with his dagger. The creature screeched and fell over the cliff to the rocks below.

"Let's get out of here!" Sora shouted, kicking at a smaller creature with armor. He stumbled back into Riku and was pushed behind his lover. Roxas was next to him with Axel by his side.

"Would love to," Axel growled. "But where are we supposed to go?"

They were completely surrounded now. Black creatures formed a half circle before them and the cliff edge was at their backs.

"That light thing," Riku said quickly, "Roxas, can you do that long enough for us to charge through?"

"I don't know," Roxas admitted. "It's taking my own aurora and turning it into something physical. If I do it too much, it kills me."

"Then we'll be quick," Riku growled. He glanced at Axel. "Ready?"

"Kid," Axel turned to Sora. "Make sure Roxas doesn't fall behind. We're going to be fighting."

"I'll take care of him," Sora promised. "Let's go."

Axel and Riku charged forward with twin battle cries. Sora grabbed Roxas' hand and followed them. Roxas let Sora lead the way as he gathered as much light into his palm as he dared. When they were completely surrounded on all sides, Roxas let loose the gathered energy.

The creatures screamed and fled, some dissolving in the brightness. The boys made it into the trees and kept running, abandoning all attempts to fight. Riku reached blindly for Sora, taking a tight hold of his hand. They could hear yelling and crashing behind them as Ansem shouted at the creatures to capture them.

"Axel! Roxas!" Sora yelled. "Which way?"

"Fuck if I know!" Axel yelled back. "Just keep running. We'll find our way after we lose these things!"

Roxas stumbled and Axel hauled the boy to his feet, dragging him until he was able to get his footing again. A black sword flew past Sora's head and landed in a tree near him. Sora shouted in surprise and fell back, bringing Riku with him.

"Move!" Roxas yelled.

Letting go of Riku's hand, Sora rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another wicked looking sword cutting his arm off. Before Sora could get up, arms wrapped around his waist and Sora was suddenly lifted into the air.

"Riku!" He shouted in fear.

"Damn it, no!" Riku went to throw his dagger at the creature but Axel grabbed his arm.

"You might hit Sora!" He exclaimed.

"Axel!" Roxas' voice screamed out.

They turned and saw Roxas being lifted into the air just like Sora. Axel's green eyes widened in shock as he watched helplessly. The two were flown over the tree canopies, disappearing from sight.

"No," Axel breathed.

Sora's voice suddenly echoed from the sky. "Towards the cliff!" He kept shouting and Riku wasted no time in turning back the way he came. Sora kept calling out, giving Riku noise to follow. Axel was right on his heels, relieved when he heard Roxas begin shouting as well.

They made it back to the cliff they had just left in time to see one of the black things fly over the edge with Sora. The one holding Roxas hovered above the ground but was too high to attack. As Riku and Axel left the safety of the trees, more creatures appeared all around them, surrounding them once again.

"Now what?" Axel hissed.

Biting his lip, Riku closed his eyes. "Cloud…"

* * *

Miles away, Cloud and Leon slept together in each other's arms. Cloud stirred, peeking up at Leon's face. The man looked content, for once not wearing his emotionless expression. Cloud smiled and kissed his neck lovingly.

"I love you."

"And I love you," Leon answered quietly.

They said no more and simply lay together, basking in their afterglow. Cloud could not imagine a more perfect moment. Lying with someone he truly loved after having finished bonding with them was a feeling he could not describe. It was like everything was right in the world. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

And then Cloud heard a voice.

The blonde's eyes snapped open as he shot up in bed. Leon startled, sitting up as well.

"What?" He demanded.

Cloud's eyes flashed and the blonde shook his head. "Riku just called my name. Sora's life is in danger."

"Can you get to them?" Leon asked.

Cloud focused hard. "I can barely sense them. It's like something's blocking them from me." Cloud re-closed his eyes and focused hard on Sora and Riku. He reopened them again. "The Prince! Prince Roxas is with them as well!"

Cloud jumped from the bed, grabbing a pair of pants and throwing them on, not caring who's they were. He reached for a shirt but stopped mid-grab. It would be faster to fly…

Cloud turned to Leon. "Tell Merlin the Prince is danger. That'll be more than enough for the royal guards to assemble."

"Where?"

"Far away," Cloud muttered. "Towards the east. I don't know any more than that." He jumped onto the windowsill, stopping only when Leon grabbed his wrist. The blonde turned to him questioningly.

Leon kissed him briefly before stepping back. "Be careful."

Cloud smiled softly. "Don't worry about me. Worry about those two brats when I get my hands on them. Interrupting my moment…" He said the last part in a disgruntled whisper, but Leon still heard. He released Cloud's hand and stood back to watch the blonde jump out the window.

Cloud fell only five feet before his large, leathery wings sprouted from his back. Leon knew that if he saw Cloud's eyes now, they would be completely blue, with no white left in them. He watched as the giant wings flapped twice before Cloud caught a gust of wind and was soaring away. The contrast of his pale skin against black wings and blue sky was breathtaking. Leon wished he could watch him forever, but, all too soon, Cloud became smaller, until he disappeared over the horizon altogether.

With a sigh, Leon turned to find some clothes, needing to meet with Merlin.

* * *

Axel hissed angrily as he stared at the large black thing holding _his_ Prince. No one held Roxas that close except him! He glanced between the ground and the two, noticing that the fall wouldn't be fatal, but Roxas would still get hurt. He was going to have to time this right.

Axel focused his energy into one hand and willed it to take physical form. A circular weapon with spikes appeared in his hand, wreathed in flame. The heat was intense but didn't burn. The fire was an artificial one and only burned who Axel told it to. The redhead readied his weapon, taking careful aim. He threw the charkam at the creature holding Roxas, ordering the fire to consume the beast.

Roxas yelled in surprise as the flames touched him and the beast, but only the beast burned. It disappeared in a poof of black smoke and Roxas suddenly found himself falling. He closed his eyes, bracing for a painful impact on the hard ground. Even though it only took seconds to fall, it felt like eternity to Roxas. When he did finally hit something, it wasn't the solid ground he'd expected.

Axel felt his head spin from the hard impact. He had run as fast as he could to catch Roxas as he fell and just barely made it in time. The two toppled over, rolling a few times before skidding to a halt in the dirt. Roxas was lying on top of Axel and they both groaned in pain.

"Gained a little weight there, ay Prince?" Axel teased, coughing. "Pampered life is making you fat."

Roxas didn't even register the teasing insults. He stared at Axel in shock. "You saved me!"

Axel looked at him like he was an idiot. "Of course."

Roxas leaned forward and kissed him right on the lips. Axel was too shocked to kiss back before Roxas pulled away. Never had Roxas initiated a kiss. It was always Axel who started things.

"Thank you," Roxas breathed when he pulled away. He shoved himself to his feet. "Now come on, we have to get Sora, quick!"

Surprised by Roxas' abrupt behavior, Axel could do nothing more than follow dumbly. While Axel had been saving Roxas, Riku had been surrounded by the creatures again. He held his small dagger before himself, trying to watch all the creatures around him and keep an eye on Sora at the same time. Needless to say, he wasn't having much luck. Axel ordered his flames to consume one beast, startling the others away from Riku. He and Roxas joined the panting teen, placing their backs against each others.

"So your power is fire?" Riku glanced at sky and smirked. "When I tell you, burn the creature holding Sora."

"He'll fall to his death!" Roxas exclaimed.

"No, he won't," Riku insisted. "Trust me."

"Fine, just give the word," Axel agreed.

Sora was still being held over the ocean, squirming in the black creature's hold. He wanted nothing more than to attack the thing and get it to drop him, but he knew the fall would kill him. He could only watch as Riku, Axel, and Roxas fought more and more creatures on the cliff beneath him.

A small creature, that looked a lot like Bug, appeared behind Roxas and raised its claws. Sora shouted a warning, giving the Prince a chance to dodge. He fell to the dirt and Axel moved to destroy the creature with his blade.

Suddenly, Sora felt a very familiar presence. He tried to turn, but the creature's grip wouldn't allow it. Down below, Riku shouted to Axel.

"Now!"

Sora's eyes widened as Axel turned towards him and raised a hand. Fire shot straight for him and Sora was sure he was going to be burned to a crisp. He yelled in shock as the flames surrounded him, but was amazed when he felt no pain. There was a slight heat, but nothing uncomfortable. Behind him though, the creature screeched loudly in pain and disappeared into a poof of black smoke. Sora didn't have a chance to be surprised as he suddenly felt himself falling through the air.

"Ahh!"

Sora was terrified as he plummeted to the rocks and water below and his untimely death. Then, without warning, arms grabbed him around the waist and stopped his descent. Sora latched his arms around his savior, shaking from his scare. He managed to open his eyes when he felt wings flapping powerfully, lifting him higher into the air.

"Cloud!" Sora exclaimed. He held on tighter as Cloud's large wings created a strong wind.

"Are you alright?" The blonde demanded.

"Get me back on the ground and I will be," Sora muttered, burring his face in Cloud's shoulder.

"Fine, hold on," Cloud answered. He glided over the cliff where the other three were still fighting. Riku was doing fine on his own, but Axel was having trouble because he had to watch the Prince. Roxas may have been taught how to fight, but he had no real experience, leaving him at a disadvantage.

"I'm going to drop you next to Riku," Cloud hurriedly told Sora. "Be ready."

"Okay," Sora agreed.

Cloud folded his wings, giving them speed as they flew towards the ground. He reopened them just before they hit the dirt and let go of Sora. The brunette stumbled and fell to his knees as Cloud continued past him. From his hand, Cloud's claws extended. He flew straight at a creature near Roxas and sliced it in half with ease.

The fight ended very quickly after that. Cloud destroyed the black creatures easily and no more appeared to take their place. When it was over, Axel was holding Roxas close to his side and Riku and Sora grabbed at each other's hands as if their lives depended on never letting go.

"Is everyone alright?" Cloud asked as the five came back together.

Roxas was staring openly at Cloud and even Axel looked amazed, though he hid it better than the Prince.

"I did not realize you possessed the Gauntlet," Roxas commented, staring at Cloud's arm.

"I received it the day I left the Islands," Cloud admitted. "Very few people know I have it."

Cloud suddenly whipped around, startling everyone as his claws extended once again. The small black creature clicked loudly and melted into the ground.

"Cloud wait!" Sora and Riku called out. Riku grabbed his arm while Sora hurried forward to the black spot.

"It's Bug," Riku explained. Sora managed to coax the little thing out of the ground and into his arms. Bug was even colder than ice.

"What?" Cloud stared at the scene in confusion.

"We can explain back at the palace," Axel interrupted. "It's not safe here."

"Very well," Cloud agreed. "Back to the palace, now."

* * *

(1) Just in case you're thinking the wrong thing, let me clarify this part. Leon is saying that Cloud's people will not approve of their relationship because Leon is an Outsider and Cloud is not. It has nothing to do with them both being boys. Heck, their Prince is being courted by another guy. I don't think their allowed to have a problem with that.

* * *

**A/N: Were you happy to see that Bug is back? I was glad to bring him back. He's funny. Oh, and incase no one made the connection, back a few chapters ago, chapter sixteen a Legendary Thief, the little creature that stole the map from Sephiroth was actually Bug. In fact, I was just re-reading that chapter and realized it's very important. It had a lot of foreshadowing.**

**Anyway, I want to write the next chapter. Next chapter, most of the secrets are revealed yay! And Merlin will finally meet Sora which will start a chain of events that will take us straight to the end. (squeal) I'm so very excited for the next chapter. But to warn everyone, it may take awhile to post because I want to get everything right. But I'll do my best.**


	27. Two Princes

**Do not like this chapter. Many thanks to skyandland for making it slightly less icky.**

**Also, Happy Leap Year! Today is February 29****th****. This story will never again be updated on this date. Haha.**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Two Princes**

To say that the palace was panicked was an understatement.

As requested, Leon had gone straight to Merlin and informed him of Cloud's departure and what he had sensed. The old wizard had not asked questions and took Leon's word for it. He hurriedly sent messengers to the palace with orders to gather the knights and warriors of the city and find the Prince.

Unprepared for such orders, the knights found themselves at a loss of what to do and who to follow. There was no hierarchy amongst the warriors; battles fought between the islanders were usually fought one on one, leaving no purpose for commanders or captains. The royal family had complete control of everything, but it was the royal family who was missing ergo, they had no one to direct them.

Many of the younger knights looked to the older ones for direction. The older knights tried to organize search parties but couldn't keep everyone together long enough to do so. Some knights thought organizing took too long and was a waste of time. They simply ran off to the woods to try and find their Prince themselves.

This was how the five found things when they arrived back at the palace.

"This needs to be fixed," Cloud growled, watching a few knights run about like headless chickens.

"Yeah…" Roxas sweat-dropped. He stepped forward and took a deep breath. "ENOUGH!"

Movement in the castle courtyard froze at his shout. Quickly, everyone turned to face their Prince and broke out into loud cheers. They rushed forward, demanding what had happened and worrying about his health.

It took hours for everything to settle down. Roxas had been fawned over and checked for bruises more times than he cared to count. He was even given a bath. The dirty-blonde couldn't explain why his servants felt like bathing him, but they did. Sora was receiving similar treatment because he had won the hearts of most of the castle servants. However, unlike Roxas, Sora was able to escape behind Riku before the bath was suggested.

Axel had enjoyed the entire scene. He had allowed the servants to treat his few scrapes and bruises before sending them off. Roxas could have done the same thing, but he was too polite. Cloud hadn't any bruises or scrapes to show for the fight, so he was left on his own.

Finally, nearly three hours later, a much cleaner and very annoyed Roxas was released from the servant's clutches. The Prince stormed into his room, where the other four were already waiting. He flung himself on his bed, growling into his pillow his sheer frustration.

"Roxy?" Sora called. "Are you okay?" Axel was trying hard not to laugh in the background.

"No, Sora," Roxas hissed, sitting up quickly. "I am not okay." He glared at the older brunette. "Do you see what I am wearing?!"

At this point, Axel couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. Even Cloud was smirking lightly from his spot leaning against the wall.

Riku and Sora took in what Roxas had been forced to wear. It was a four piece outfit made out of hand-spun silk. A light white shirt was first. The silk felt nice against the skin, allowing just enough temperature control so that you were never too hot and never quiet cold. The pants were also silk; these colored a dark, almost blood red. They flared out slightly, swaying gently whenever Roxas walked. A jacket went over the white shirt. It was black with red lines sewed down the arms and solid gold buttons on the cuffs and up the middle. Pretty little black slippers completed the outfit. They looked comfortable enough for inside but horrible for walking outdoors.

Roxas sat back down on the bed after Riku and Sora had stared long enough. He crossed his arms and scowled deeply. Riku and Sora traded looks.

"I still don't get it," Sora admitted. "It's very, uh, formal."

Roxas glared, his cheeks turning red. "It's a marriage outfit. This is the traditional garment worn by virgins on their weddings nights. The maids forced me into it."

Riku and Sora burst into laughter at Roxas' expense. The blonde rolled his eyes and continued to glare. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. You'll be stuck in this outfit one day too, Sora."

Sora and Riku's laughter turned into hasty chokes and throat clearing. Axel smirked at the younger kids. "Or not," he teased.

"Enough," Cloud interrupted quietly, a small smile still on his lips. "You four have some explaining to do." He glanced at Roxas. "A messenger was sent to meet your parents and inform them what happened. They'll be here as soon as they can."

Roxas nodded, looking down at his slippered feet. He had never gotten into so much trouble when his parents were away. They were going to freak out when they got back.

"So start explaining, you four," Cloud ordered. "What were you thinking?"

With resigned sighs all around, Riku and Sora started up with the explaining, passing it off to Roxas and Axel towards the end. Cloud listened patiently. Well, he looked patient, that is. Sora knew him well enough to know the blonde was very unhappy with their reckless choices.

After they had finished talking, Cloud frowned. "You four are complete idiots."

"Hey!" Roxas and Axel exclaimed. Riku and Sora ignored the insult; they were well used to Cloud and Leon calling them idiots by now.

"Hey Cloud," Sora began, looking at the blonde curiously. "What do you think Ansem meant when he kept talking about there being two princes?"

"I don't know," Cloud admitted.

A knock on the door interrupted them and Cloud calmly answered it. A female maid was standing at the door, wringing her hands in her apron nervously.

"Ah, par-pardon the in-intrusion, sirs…"

"What is it?" Cloud frowned.

The maid blushed. "The L-Lord of the Ga-Gates is here."

"What?" Roxas exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"It's true, Your Highness," the maid spoke quickly. "He arrives with the outsiders at the castle gates as we speak."

Roxas hurriedly led the way out of the palace to the courtyards. The maid hadn't been wrong. Standing in the courtyard were Yuffie and Cid. Aerith was stepping out of the carriage behind them, followed by Leon.

The islanders were openly staring and pointing. They had never seen outsiders before and looked at the pirates as if they were on display in a novelty show. Yuffie lifted a finger and flicked the crowd off, confusing everyone. They did not know the insulting meaning behind the gesture, much to the black haired girl's chagrin.

Sora smiled and hurried to his friends. Riku had assured him everyone was alright, but it was gratifying to see his friends with his own eyes.

"Ay! It's little Sora!" Yuffie exclaimed happily.

"Yay, it's big Yuffie!" Sora countered with a large smile. She whacked him on the head playfully before grabbing him into a large hug. Aerith joined the mini hug-fest while Cid and Leon nodded their greetings from the side.

Riku and Cloud took up places by Leon's side, and Riku noticed something interesting. Leon's pants looked too small on him. He glanced at Cloud and noticed that his pants were hanging low on his hips. Riku looked between the two again before bursting out laughing. His friends were startled and looked at him strangely, but Riku ignored them.

Gasps were suddenly heard from the crowd and Riku stopped laughing to see what was going on. Vincent was helping Merlin from the carriage. Roxas stepped forward to greet the Lord with Axel close behind him.

"Lord Gates," the Prince greeted with a worried frown. "What are you doing here?"

"I was worried for my Prince, of course," the old wizard smiled. "I always knew you would get into trouble at first chance."

Roxas blushed at the gentle reprimand. "If you are here, who is guarding the Gates?"

Merlin took a deep breath. "The Gates, my Prince, have fallen," he announced. Cries of shock and dismay rose from the crowd. "I'm afraid I no longer control them."

"What?" Roxas whispered, horrified.

"Then, who does?" Axel demanded loudly. If he said that it was that freaky Ansem guy…

"Roxas, I would dearly like to meet your friend Sora now."

Sora blinked in surprise and stepped forward hesitatingly from Yuffie and Aerith's arms.

"Me?" He asked uncertainly.

Merlin turned his head to the nervous voice and stared. Wise old eyes locked with youthful blue ones and Sora felt a spark of old magic travel over his skin. For a brief moment, Sora thought he saw a vision of two people appear before his eyes. They both shared his blue eyes and kind face. The woman had Sora's round face and large smile while the man had his wild brown hair and lanky body.

"Mom? Dad?" Sora whispered. He wasn't sure why he thought the people were his real parents, but it felt right to call them that.

The vision faded and Sora was staring into Merlin's eyes again. The wizard was smiling, his old eyes full of tears.

"I had not dared to let myself hope," Merlin spoke, his voice choked. "There were so many signs: Vincent's story, the water, my loss of control…" He took Sora's stunned hand and slowly lowered himself down to one knee. "Welcome home, Prince Aoiro of the Destiny Islands."

Sora gawked at the man, not understanding. Roxas had the same shocked face, as did all the villagers present. But as he stared, Roxas realized how truthful Merlin's words felt. They rang true in his soul. He closed his eyes and repeated the title in his head. A whisper spoke in his ear, the land and water telling him yes, this boy was the lost prince. He was Roxas' cousin and the true heir to the throne. He was the original King's son.

Roxas opened his eyes, tears gathering in the corners of them. He smiled and stepped forward to Sora, who looked at him for answers. With a smile, Roxas bowed at the waist.

"Welcome home, cousin," he said.

If possible, Sora's eyes became even wider. Slowly, the villagers all began to bow. They fell to their knees, welcoming Sora back and praising his name.

The true heir had returned to the Destiny Islands.

* * *

Riku had his arms wrapped tightly around Sora's waist. The two were curled up in a large chair back in Roxas' room. Yuffie, Aerith, Cid and Leon sat around them, almost in a protective circle. Across from the two boys were Roxas, Merlin, Axel, and Vincent, all sharing an overly large couch. Cloud was in the middle of the two groups, not sure whether he wanted to celebrate finding his prince with the other islanders, or offer silent support to Sora and Riku.

"So what's with all the prince stuff?" Riku eventually asked. He was glad they were in Roxas' room, away from staring eyes and prying ears.

Roxas looked to Merlin to explain. "Years ago, our King and Queen traveled to the outside lands to open negotiations with the Navy Royalty. While on that mission, they were killed by attacking pirates searching for our fabled treasures.

"We know all that," Riku interrupted. "Cloud told us. The entire royal family was killed."

"But only the bodies of the King and Queen were found," Merlin finished. "The children were never located. After much searching, we assumed they had been lost to the sea."

Riku and Sora traded looks and Sora pressed closer to his boyfriend as Merlin continued.

"Vincent," Merlin called. The dark haired man stepped forward from the shadows. "I suppose you were unaware that Vincent is the nephew of the original Queen?"

"Really?" Sora asked in shocked. Even Cloud raised an eyebrow at that.

"Of course he is!" Roxas snapped, throwing his hands up in annoyed gesture and resting back in his seat. "Why not? I mean, if Sora can be my cousin and the long lost Prince, why can't this man, tainted with darkness though he is, be my cousin as well?"

Axel petted Roxas' head, much like one would pet an upset cat. Roxas kicked him.

"I realize this is all very shocking," Merlin smiled, "but please, restrain yourself. There are still many secrets to be told."

"Wonderful," Riku deadpanned.

"It was when Vincent was speaking to me of Sora that I began to suspect something off," Merlin continued. "Vincent has always had a very hard time connecting to others," at this, the dark haired man frowned in disapproval, "but that was never the case with his cousin, the original Prince Aoiro."

Sora glanced at Vincent curiously before turning back to Merlin.

"However, that alone is no evidence," the old man went on. "And then I sensed the strangest thing. The water had been given a request by someone I did not recognize, but someone it was determined not to disappoint. When I asked it who it was, it only whispered that the person was pure, strong, a true king.

"My next clue came when Captain Duke returned bearing two Trapped souls back to our Islands. When Roxas insisted that I did not kneed to meet young Sora…" Roxas glared at the wizard, clearly saying with his eyes "Get over it!" "…I asked the land to tell me what it thought. The answer was the same as the water's: pure, strong, a true king. Even you, Roxas, confirmed that Sora had the most pure aurora you'd ever seen."

"Which is why I didn't feel the need to have him judged," Roxas agreed.

Merlin nodded and went on. "The last clue has come only just today. The walls that were erected around our islands were meant to be controlled by the royal family. After the death of our King and Queen, Roxas' parents took that control. However, because the walls were not made by them specifically, the stipulation was created that they had to stay within the castle Gates at all times.

"Such an arrangement would not have worked, since they were also expected to take over the thrown. That was when I requested control over the walls and was granted it, so long as stayed forever in my castle." Merlin's smile was tinted with sadness, but he continued on, not letting his emotions get the better of him.

"You're not there now," Axel pointed out. Roxas once again kicked him.

"There was no point of my staying," Merlin told them. "I told you, I no longer have control of the walls. You see, the walls were only given to me to control, they were never truly mine to own. They belong only to the original royal family of the Destiny Islands. And now that a member of the original family has returned, he is the one with control over the walls. I will not have it back unless he gives me them." His eyes sparkled at Sora as he spoke and the brunette shifted uncomfortably. "That was my final clue. As I live and breath, Sora is our lost Prince."

Everyone was silent, having no idea what to say or do. Suddenly, Yuffie snorted into her hand. She tried to stop herself but, within moments, she was full out laughing. She clutched her sides, rolling around in her seat. The group stared at her, worried for her sanity. Had they locked her in the castle too long or something?

"Are you alright, Yuffie?" Aerith asked, placing a hand on the girl's back.

"I'm sorry," she snickered. "But oh _man_! Look at their faces!" She gestured at Sora and Riku. "They look like someone just told them they were king of the world!"

"Someone did just tell me I was king of the world," Sora answered. "Or at least, part of it."

"But your face!" She lost the ability to speak as she continued to laugh.

Sora decided to ignore the girl and turned back to Merlin. "So you're sure? There's not doubt or mistake?"

"Yes Sora," Merlin smiled. "You are the Prince Aoiro."

Sora blinked and turned to Riku. "What do you think?"

Riku turned to Cloud. "I hate you," he suddenly announced.

Cloud lifted an eyebrow. "Me? Why?"

"You brought us here!" Riku exclaimed. He grabbed Sora's hand and stood up. Riku turned to Merlin with a scowl. "I don't care if Sora is your damn prince, you can't have him."

"Riku—"

"Shut up, Cloud!"

Sora squeezed Riku's hand before turning to Merlin. "I have to agree with Riku, Mr. Merlin. I don't want to be a Prince. All we wanted was to know where we came from. We didn't come here to rule or control or anything like that. Besides," Sora smiled at Roxas, "you already have a Prince, one who was raised here and knows it a lot better than me.

"My Lord—"

"Call me that one more time and I'll kick you in the shin," Sora stated coldly. Of course, he would never carry through with such a threat against an old man, but it succeeded in shutting the old wizard up. "We're leaving." Sora tugged at Riku's hand. "Excuse us."

They left without another word, ignoring the calls following them. Sora led the way to the room he had been given when he first arrived. It was smaller than Roxas', but still very large by his standards. There was a medium sized bed in the center and a patio overlooking the castle grounds. The room was kept clean by the servants and was richly decorated.

Sora crawled onto his bed, Riku following after him. They didn't say anything as they lay together, Riku running a hand absently through Sora's wild hair. Eventually, Sora broke the quiet with a question.

"Where did all this leave you?" He asked.

"Hmm?"

"You were with me on the beach. You were part of the shipwreck," Sora elaborated. "So what does that make you?"

"Who knows?" Riku shrugged. "Maybe I'm the long lost King." He smiled. "I didn't actually die in the attack; I was just shrunk and turned into a child with the opportunity to grow up again."

Sora laughed. "Sounds just about as sane as the rest of the stuff their feeding us." Sora made a noise of annoyance. "I can't deal with this, Riku. I'm not a prince. I'm a street-raised orphan." He shook his head, closing his eyes tightly. "I don't know how to handle this."

"Then don't," Riku whispered, kissing his lover's closed eyes. "Don't deal with it. You said so yourself, they have Roxas."

"So what do we do?"

"We tell them thanks, but no thanks," Riku answered. "They can find someone else to be their prince."

Sora smiled and snuggled closer to Riku. It wasn't long before they both fell asleep, dreaming nightmares of a shipwreck they couldn't remember.

* * *

Axel slipped into the prince's room quietly. Roxas was sitting out on the patio, staring at the moon in the sky. The pale lightened made his skin glow. He changed out of the ridiculous marriage outfit and now wore pajamas made of red silk. He sat with one leg drawn to his chest and the other dangling over the ledge. He made a beautiful sight and Axel would have said he looked perfect if not for the fact that his blue eyes shown with sadness and confusion. The redhead stepped forward.

"Prince?" He called, not wishing to startle the boy and accidentally causing him to fall.

Roxas barely turned his head to acknowledge him. Axel stepped forward, jumping to sit on the ledge next to him. He took Roxas' hand and kissed it, slightly worried when the blonde let him without a fuss.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked, unusual serious. "I thought you would be happy. You just found out your cousin isn't as dead as people thought."

Roxas glanced at him. "I am happy, really."

"Then why do you look like your about to cry?"

Roxas bit his lip and turned away. "He's the true Prince, Axel. The real heir to the throne. I have no right to take that away from him." Tears stung Roxas' eyes. "But I want to, I want to so badly."

"They're your people," Axel said. "Of course you don't want to leave them."

"This is my home!" Roxas exclaimed. "I was born and raised here! Sora doesn't know anything about the Islands! He's a good person and very loving, but he's not prince material. I know it's horrible, but I can't help it." He looked at Axel desperately. "I want to be Prince. I don't want to give my title to Sora. I want to lead my people. _My_ people."

Roxas flung himself into Axel's arm, letting his tears fall. His shoulders shook as he cried silently. Axel simply held him and whispered soothing nothings in his ear.

* * *

Sora listened to Roxas' words with a heavy heart. He had woken and not been able to go back to sleep. Sora had come out to the patio for some fresh air, hoping to clear his head. He hadn't meant to listen in on Roxas' private conversation with Axel, but they were barely ten feet above him and Sora could hear everything.

His heart felt heavy with guilt. What could that Merlin been thinking? Didn't he realize how much his news hurt Roxas? Even if Sora was the true Prince, that meant nothing. It was Roxas who was raised as royalty. The Islanders knew the blonde boy as their Prince and future leader. Roxas knew their ways, how they worked, how they lived. Sora didn't have any clue about that kind of stuff. He hadn't even been on the damn islands a whole month yet!

Sora sighed and hung his head. This was wrong. If there was one thing he had learned growing up with Riku on the streets, it was that blood didn't matter. Sora had a family in Riku, Kairi, and the others. Even if Riku was the only one here with him now, they were still his brothers and sisters. This place was where Sora came from, but it was not his home. Home was back on the Navy ruled lands with Kairi and the others.

Sora lifted his head, his eyes holding a determined glint. Prince or not, Sora was not going to take Roxas' life away from him. Roxas was meant to rule the Destiny Islands, not Sora. And, starting tomorrow, he was going to make damn sure everyone knew it.

However, Sora never got the chance to carry out his plan as he looked up in time to see a lone strip of black cloud cut the moon half, and he knew no more as darkness swallowed him.

* * *

**A/N: The beginning was fun to write, the middle was not, the end was. I think I was focusing so much on trying to make things understandable and to tell the truth and what-not, that I forgot to focus on the writing itself. The sentences are worded strangely and it all seems somewhat choppy to me.**

**I promise to make the next chapter better. And to get Riku's story out in the open. I keep trying to explain why he was on the same beach as Sora, but I just can't find the right spot to explain it! Grr. Darn Riku.**


	28. I am the Prince

**Wah!! I'm sorry Roxas!!**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: I Am the Prince**

Sora groaned in discomfort as he slowly woke from a deep sleep. Strange, he hadn't remembered returning to bed or the bed being so cold and hard. And why wasn't Riku next to him? Sora shook his head and opened his eyes. He blinked and tried to open them again with the same result.

"Oh my god, I'm blind!" Sora exclaimed.

"Blindfolded," a voice corrected. "You're not blind, you're blindfolded."

"What was that? Who's there? Oh man, now I'm hearing voices too?"

"Calm down, Sora! You're going to hurt yourself!"

Sora took a deep breath and forced himself to stay still. His hands were bound, but his feet were free. Now that he had stopped panicking, Sora could feel the soft cloth on his face covering his eyes. He struggled into a sitting position.

"Roxas?" Sora asked quietly.

"Yeah, are you alright?" Roxas replied. "Are you hurt?"

"I don't think so," Sora answered. "Are you?"

"I got hit in the head, but it's just a bump," Roxas assured. "You've been unconscious for so long, I was worried."

"Unconscious? What happened?"

"You don't remember?"

Sora could hear shifting and felt a hand touch his. Roxas scooted around so their shoulders touched.

"I just remember being out on the balcony because I couldn't sleep," Sora admitted. "Why?"

"The castle was attacked by Ansem and his dark creatures," Roxas informed.

Sora's eyes widened behind the cloth. "Riku!"

"He was fighting, last I saw," Roxas said. "We heard you scream and came running. One of those flying black things had knocked you out and was trying to kidnap you, but Riku was fighting it off. Axel ran to help him and then one of them grabbed me. All I remember after that is more appearing and lots of fighting before I was knocked out too."

"What about our friends?" Sora fretted.

"I don't know," Roxas admitted. "I'm sure they're better off than we are, though."

"I hope so," Sora muttered. "So where are we?"

"A cave, from what I can gather. Don't move, I'm gonna try and get your blindfold off."

Sora kept still as Roxas climbed to his knees. He felt Roxas' teeth graze his cheek and grab the blindfold, pulling it down. He blinked and shook his head. The cave was pitch black and Roxas was sitting next to him with his hands bounds and also blindfolded.

"Hang on," Sora ordered. He stood carefully and grabbed at Roxas' blindfold with his mouth. He pulled the cloth off and waited as Roxas adjusted to the dark. A sliver of moonlight was coming in from the top of the cave. The light reflected off a small lake near them.

"Do you recognize this place?" Sora asked as he looked around curiously.

Roxas shook his head. "No. I've never been into the caves before. The people aren't allowed in the mountains."

Sora shifted around. "Well, let's try and get our hands free," Sora suggested. "Then we can find a way out."

"You will find that task quite impossible."

Roxas and Sora jumped, stumbling over themselves as they tried to turn around. Ansem was calmly standing on the water, his white coat and amber skin glowing in the moonlight. He coolly drifted forward to the shore where the boys were sitting, barely making a ripple in the water. His black creatures appeared around him, circling, flying, and swaying everywhere. They made no noise as their bodies faded into the cavern's darkness but their yellow eyes continued to glow eerily. They flew over Roxas and Sora, making the cousins shiver in cold and fear. The boys scooted closer to each other, trying to get away from the disturbing creatures.

Sora mustered up the courage to ignore the creatures and face Ansem. "Where are we?" He demanded. "Why did you bring us here?"

Ansem merely smiled, lifting his hand. A black creature faded into sight, wrapping black tendrils around the man's body. Sora cringed at the sight.

"What _are_ those things?" Roxas asked staring in obvious distaste.

"They are called Heartless, Your Majesty," Ansem flicked his wrist and the Heartless wrapped around him slid away and curled itself around Roxas. Roxas tried to kick it away but his feet just passed through the creature. "Pure darkness given solid form. One may go as far as to refer to them as… evil."

"Get it off him," Sora ordered, trying to bite the heartless on Roxas. Ansem smirked and called the beast back. "Why did you bring us here?" Sora demanded again. "'Cause if you think that you can ransom us, you better think twice. Our friends will kick your ass so bad your ugly little pets won't be able to recognize you."

Ansem threw his head back and laughed loudly. "A sex slave's ransom is worth nothing." Sora flinched violently at the insult. Roxas cursed at the man angrily. Ansem simply laughed at them once more before turning away. "You will know why you're here soon enough, my dear princes." He stepped onto the water, the heartless following him. "Until then, please, enjoy your new accommodations." He disappeared into the dark, only the ripples in the water betraying that he had ever been there.

* * *

"Riku! You need to calm down!" Cloud ordered harshly. He grabbed the irate teen and forced him into a chair. "You have a head wound, you can't be running around."

"Fuck that!" Riku cursed, pushing Cloud away and pacing again. "I should be out there helping to search, head wound or no head wound."

"The entire island is looking for them," Cloud soothed. "There's not a single place that isn't being checked."

"Then why haven't we found them yet?!" Riku screamed. He grabbed a vase full of flowers sitting on the table and threw it as hard as he could against the wall. It shattered into pieces, leaving a wet mark on the stone. The nurse-maid in the room screamed and covered her head in fear.

Cloud took a deep breath and moved to the woman. He pushed her towards the door and the nurse-maid left quickly. Riku was standing in the middle of his and Sora's shared room; his shoulders were shaking visibly and his eyes tightly closed. Cloud rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I promised him," Riku muttered. "Why is it that I can't keep my promises to him no matter how hard I try?"

"Why is it that I can't keep you both out of trouble no matter how hard I try?" Cloud countered. Riku snorted quietly, almost smiling at the half-joke. There was a knock on the door and Cloud went to answer it while Riku hurriedly wiped his eyes and nose.

Merlin, Leon, and Axel walked in, all looking rundown. Axel was by far the worst off. His clothes were covered in dirt and torn in a few place and his hair stuck up untidily. There was large bruise on his cheek. Axel looked how Riku felt. Pissed off, scared, hurt, and wanting nothing more than to find his loved one. Merlin directed him to the couch.

"We found Ansem's ship, but it's completely deserted," Leon reported. "There's no trace of the boys anywhere."

Riku grabbed at his hair, barely restraining himself from finding something else to throw. "So where haven't we looked?" Riku asked.

"We've searched the entire island," Leon said.

"Obviously we haven't because we haven't found them yet!" Riku yelled. He got up and began pacing again.

"The kid's right," Axel spoke up. His voice was tired but his eyes were sharp. He hadn't slept since Roxas had been kidnapped the night before. "No one checked the caves."

"The caves?" Riku asked.

Cloud shook his head. "To enter the caves is to spit on the land and water that created life," he said. "No one would dare step into that place. Not even to save their prince."

"Yeah? Fucking watch me," Riku snapped. He turned to Axel. "Where?"

"I'll come with you," Axel agreed, standing up.

"Riku—"

"If you are going to go," Merlin interrupted loudly, "then you must go with the blessings of the land and water."

Not really in the mood for the wizard's riddles, Riku rubbed at sore his head and hissed, "What?"

"The land and water won't give their blessings," Cloud interrupted. "They were the ones who told us never to enter the caves!"

"They will allow Riku in, and, possibly, Lord Axel," Merlin explained. He gestured to the seats across from him. "Sit down. I have explained Sora's true identity, now I must explain yours."

Riku flopped into his chair. Already he hated this conversation.

"When Sora's parents went to meet with the Navy King, they took with them another family. This family was the guardians of the royalty. They were the king and queen's most trusted advisors and friends. They were in charge of everything to do with security and died with the royalty that day."

Riku shook his head, seeing exactly where this conversation was going. "Everyone except, of course, me."

"The only two children on the ship that day were the young prince and the guardian's son. It is taught to a guardian since before even birth that they must protect the royalty. Even though you had forgotten everything, subconsciously you knew you had to protect Sora." Merlin smiled. "Falling in love along the way was simply a little bonus."

Riku just shook his head. "Fine. Whatever. I'll deal with that _after_ I get Sora back."

"That is part of why I told you this now," Merlin went on. The wizard hid a smile as he noticed Cloud shaking his head in disbelief next to him. It must be very surprising for the blonde to find out that not only has he been looking after the lost prince, but the prince's guardian as well. "You know by now that the land and water answer to the prince and always try to serve him faithfully?"

Riku waved a dismissive hand. "Ya, the water protects him and stuff, I got it."

Merlin nodded. "Because you are the prince's retainer, the water and land will also obey you, but only to certain extent. However, if you ask their help in protecting their prince, they will not deny you."

Riku frowned. "So you want me to ask the land and water for help? What good would that do me?"

"It will get you into the caves," Axel butted in, catching onto the plan. "We can't enter the caves because the land told us not to. However, the royalty can. And if that's really where Roxas and Sora are being held, we can tell the land and get permission to enter and save them."

Merlin nodded. "Exactly."

"Or we could just go," Riku growled, "and not waste time."

"The land will not let you enter without just cause," Merlin said gently.

"He's right, Riku," Cloud added. "Besides, if you can get the land on your side, it might be able to give us a location on where the princes are. That would save us valuable search time."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Merlin called for whoever it was to enter and a maid led Vincent and Cid into the room. Riku stood quickly, staring at the two hopefully.

"Cid spotted the creatures that serve Ansem," Vincent began without preamble. "We have confirmed that Ansem is residing in the mountain caves to the east. However, we were unable to find evidence of Prince Sora or Prince Roxas."

Cloud cursed under his breath as Leon came to stand by his side. It was dishonorable enough for Ansem to fake being a member of their race but now he had broken one of their most treasured laws by entering such a sacred place. Cloud swore to himself that, if no one beat him to it, he would kill the man.

Riku turned to Merlin, his face determined. "How do I talk to the land?"

* * *

Sora kneeled over the water and stared intensely into the black depths. The moon had disappeared behind a cloud, leaving him and Roxas in complete darkness. Sora didn't let this deter him though as he concentrated as hard as he could on Riku. After a few minutes, a hazy picture began to form before his eyes and soon, Sora was able to fully make out Riku in the water's depths.

"I can see," he called. Sora heard Roxas shuffling around and then felt his friend's hand on his back.

"What's going on?"

Sora squinted. "He's… planting something. He's sticking a seed into the ground." Sora blinked. "We're kidnapped and he's planting a _tree_?"

"Hold on," Roxas said. "What color is the seed? Can you tell?"

"What does that matter?" Sora grumbled.

He squinted at the picture before his eyes. Riku was talking but Sora couldn't hear the words. He stuck the seed into the soil and then sat back on his knees, pressing his palms together with his eyes closed as he continued to speak. "It was black with a green spot in the center."

"A ritual seed," Roxas announced without hesitation. "You plant one when you want to communicate with the land. Is he kneeling?"

"Yeah," Sora confirmed.

"Then Merlin probably taught him how to talk to the land and ask it where we are!" Roxas said excitedly. "Alright Sora, I'm gonna show you how to talk through the water. If we both pool our strength, I'm sure we can get a message to Riku and the others!"

Sora grinned. "Alright, tell me what to do."

Roxas took his hands and submerged them into the water. "Okay, repeat after me. _To the water I call, let me speak to the one I see._"

"_To the water I call, let me speak to the one I see_," Sora repeated.

"_Let him hear my words so that he may come save me_."

"_Let him hear my words so that he may come save me_."

Suddenly, Sora's ears were filled with loud rushing sound. He felt his ears pop and fill with water. He could still feel Roxas' hands clutching his own, but was no longer aware of the other boy's presence. His mind filled with the image of dirt and sand and Sora closed his eyes as he shook his head. The rushing slowly died away and Sora managed to reopen his eyes.

Riku was standing in front of him. They were somewhere devoid of life except for the two of them. Riku stood on sand while Sora knelt over water. Their eyes met and Sora tried to stand, but his legs wouldn't support him and something was still holding his hands. Riku seemed to be in the same position as he tried to take a step towards Sora but was held back. They stared into each other's eyes, confused and saddened.

"Ri—" Sora coughed as he tried to call Riku's name. The coughing became harsher as he continued to try and speak until it became hard to breathe. Finally, he shut his mouth and stopped trying to call Riku's name. The coughing subsided and Sora was able to breathe normally again.

Riku stared at him sadly, not sure what to do next. With his eyes, he tried to convey all his love for Sora without words. He would save him, no matter what it took. Riku didn't care if the land didn't want him to enter some sacred caves. If that was where Sora was, he was going, traditions be damned. He smiled at Sora and mouthed 'I love you,' smiling wider when Sora mouthed the words back.

Without warning, the scenery around them changed. The sand and water blended together to become a beach. Trees grew behind Riku into a forest filled with the sounds of animals. Fish appeared in the water under Sora as the water lightened to clear blue.

The water began flowing to one spot on Sora's left. He watched in fascination as waves began to form and slowly rise upwards. A faceless figure made completely of water stood in the waves. Across from him, Riku was watching as sand began to blow to his left. It began to build itself and also took on the form of a faceless person made of sand.

"I am the land," the figure made of sand spoke.

"I am the water," the figure made of water stated.

"We have answered your call," they said together.

Riku wasn't sure what was going on, but this was what he had originally been trying to do. He turned to Land and hesitantly tried to speak. When no coughing fit stopped him, Riku hurriedly began to talk.

"I want to save Sora!" He declared, "but I need to know where he is! Please, let me enter the mountain caves and guide me to him!"

Sora could see Riku's lips moving as he spoke to the figure made out of sand, but he couldn't hear any words. He bit his lip and turned to Water.

"What are they saying? Why can't I hear them?"

"Because you have denied yourself," Water answered. "One can not listen when one does not wish to hear."

"What does that mean?" Sora frowned. "Of course I want to hear Riku!"

"It is not Riku you are denying, it is yourself," Water spoke kindly. Sora thought that if it had a real body, Water would be a woman.

"You're not making any sense," Sora shook his head, turning back to see Riku yelling, gesturing widely, at Land. "Riku…"

"What do you mean you won't let me save him?!" Riku screamed. "Aren't you the land? Aren't you supposed to do whatever it takes to protect your prince?!"

Land titled its head. "That boy is not my prince."

Riku's eyes widened as he whipped around to look at Sora.

Water had moved and sat next to Sora. It was warm and reminded Sora of the few times he had been allowed to relax in a bath. "Please, tell me what they're saying."

Water just shook its head. "You must listen yourself."

"But I can't hear them!"

"Why not?"

Sora grabbed his hair in frustration. "I don't know! That's what I'm asking you!"

Water chuckled and gently directed Sora's attention back to Riku, who was staring at him sadly.

"Everyone keeps saying he's the long lost prince and now you're telling me he's not?" Riku demanded, glaring at Land.

Land said nothing in return.

"Fine!" Riku yelled. "He's not the prince! That doesn't matter to me! All I want is to save him!"

"You may not enter the caves without my permission."

"Then give me your permission or get out of my way!" Riku ordered. "I don't care what you have to save! I want Sora back and I'll piss off whoever I have to to get him."

Land actually chuckled. "You are a true Guardian. I will allow you to save the prince." The Land titled its head. "But that boy is not yet a prince."

"He's calmed down," Sora commented as he watched Riku speak with Land.

"He was told that he may rescue the prince."

Sora glanced at Water. "Roxas?"

Water shook its head. "You are denying yourself."

Sora turned to it. "Denying myself? You mean… because I don't want to be a prince? Is that what you're saying?" Water simply stared at him. "But it's true! I don't know the first thing about being royalty or even about the Islands! I'm a street rat from the Navy Lands! And besides, you have a prince! You have Roxas."

"We love Roxas very much," Water explained. "He would make an excellent King, one day."

"So then what do you need me for?"

Water gestured to the land, "Because every land," it moved its arm to encompass the water, "and every water, needs someone to rule it."

Sora shook his head. "You're not making any sense!"

"We love Roxas, but Roxas is not our true ruler. We want the one we chose thousands of years ago, when we were first born. We allow you to rule us, but in exchange, you must treat us with honor… and we get to choose who rules."

"And you picked me?"

"We chose your family, and now we choose you. You're heart is pure," Water assured him. "Even after all the hardships you have faced –are still facing, you remain strong and true to your feelings. Never have we seen someone as honest as you. We want to serve _you_."

Sora bit his lip and could feel tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. "I can't take this from Roxas. He loves being prince so much, it's his entire life. I can't hurt him like that."

"Roxas will still be loved," Water whispered, "but you will be ruler."

Sora turned back to see Riku watching him. Slowly, he held out his hand and Riku reached for him. Their fingertips touched and Sora felt a rush of warmth through his body. He hadn't even realized he was cold.

"Come save me, Riku," Sora whispered. "Come save your prince."

"I will," Riku promised. "I am your guardian, after all."

Sora blinked his eyes and suddenly Riku and the beach were gone. He was back in the cave, still holding out one hand for Riku. Roxas held his other hand and was wiping at Sora's cheeks.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Roxas asked worriedly.

Sora swallowed the lump in his throat and turned to look Roxas in the eye. This was the first time he noticed their eyes were the exact same.

"Roxas…"

"Sora? What's wrong? Are feeling alright?"

Sora nodded and hung his head. "I'm so sorry, Roxas." Confused, Roxas hugged Sora to his chest as the brunette cried quietly.

* * *

Riku snapped his eyes open and smiled for the first time since he'd been separated from Sora. He whipped around quickly to tell the others the good news.

"Merlin! Land said yes! We can—"

Riku's words were cut short as he came face to face with masamune** (1)**.

* * *

**(1) The name of Sephiroth's sword in FF7**

* * *

**I feel so bad about Roxas. I tried to make it better by saying he will still be loved, but he's getting the short end of the stick outta all this. Poor baby. Um well, sorry about the little cliffhanger… but, if you write stories like me, you understand the fun of leaving them. And if you read them, also like me, you know why I'm apologizing. Haha.**

**That's all. I'm super behind in creative writing. We have to write a short story about our childhood. I can't. Why? Because of a little thing called Post Traumatic Stress Syndrom… or is it disorder? I can never remember. Anyway, because of that, I don't **_**remember**_** my childhood. I talked to my teacher and he said it would be okay to make something up, but really, I don't remember being a kid so how can I write like one? I'm thinking of taking a scene from Child Again and just re-writing it into an original and turning that in. Not that this has anything to do with Treasure…**

**Okay, watch the profile if you're interested in status reports or when the next posting will be. By!**


	29. The Reason Why

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Reason Why

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Reason Why**

"Stand up," Sephiroth ordered coldly.

Riku climbed to his feet, Sephiroth's sword never leaving his throat. He glanced over the pirate's shoulder and saw his friends being tied. Axel was kicking and cursing loudly as four pirates attempted to sit on him and tie his hands together, earning many burns in the process. Cloud and Leon were bound together and not resisting. Riku was very glad Cloud wasn't looking at him at the moment; he had never seen the blonde so angry. Cloud looked like he was going to start spitting fire and throwing lightning any second. The pirates were also attempting to tie Merlin's hand, but every time they secured a knot, the wizard would flick his wrist and the rope would fall away. The old man was enjoying the pirate's confusion greatly.

"How did you get here?" Riku demanded.

"You lead us here, or did you forget, boy?" Sephiroth hissed. He flicked his wrist, cutting Riku's cheek carelessly. The teen flinched slightly but never lost his glare.

"I remember leaving you stranded in the ocean," Riku muttered.

"A little too close to land." Sephiroth gestured to his men and they hurried forward with rope to bind Riku's hands tightly. Riku didn't struggle as he was shoved into Cloud. "So this is the fabled Destiny Islands?" Sephiroth stared around at the clean streets, shining water, and healthy nature in disgust. "I expected something more elaborate."

"We are a simple people," Merlin told him pleasantly. "We have no need for material things."

Sephiroth leveled a stare at the old man, noticing his hands were still untied and the stupid looks on his men's faces. He turned his gaze to Cloud. "Where is Vincent?"

"I don't know," Cloud stated clearly. "Get out of my home."

"Tsk, tsk, Cloud, so inhospitable. At least one part of the legends was true." He glanced over the pirates that had finally managed to subdue Axel. "Toss him with the others."

The four pirates manhandled the hog-tied redhead to the group and tossed him on top of Leon. The brunette grunted while Axel wiggled around, shouting hatefully through his gag. It was at this moment Vincent appeared behind the prisoners.

"Captain Sephiroth…" his voice was slightly surprised but Vincent was quick to school his face to be emotionless. Sephiroth gestured his first mate to his side and Vincent hurried forward, kneeling down at his feet. Axel, the only one who didn't know of Vincent's relationship with the pirate captain, stared in revulsion. Sephiroth calmly lifted his hand and smacked Vincent hard enough to knock him to the ground.

Grinding his teeth against the sting, Vincent slowly stood up, keeping his head bowed. "Captain."

"Do not leave your post again, Vincent. I will not forgive you a second time."

"Yes sir."

Axel worked his jaw and managed to get his gag loose. "What the hell's all this?" he yelled. "You're one of us! What the fuck are you doing bowing to that bastard? Those of Destiny Island blood bow only to our Prince!"

"Didn't you know, Axel?" Riku sneered. "Vincent's a traitor through and through. He turned his back on the Islands. He even helped this guy," he jerked his head at Sephiroth, "hurt Sora."

"Then what the hell has he been doing he the entire time?" Axel demanded.

"Ask Merlin," Riku grumbled.

Merlin was staring intensely at Vincent. The dark haired man refused to meet the wizard's eyes, choosing instead to stare at unwaveringly at Sephiroth. Merlin hung his head and allowed his shoulders to sag. It had been so long since he'd felt his age. He had been so hopeful for Vincent. He had a hard life full of pain and suffering, but he still had a good heart underneath all the torture. Merlin had thought he could help Vincent overcome his past trials and lead him back to the way of their people. But it would seem that the lure Sephiroth offered was too great for even the love of a home to overcome.

Sephiroth ignored them. "It would seem this trip was for nothing. The fabled treasures of this place do not exist." Sephiroth scowled darkly. "I will not go back empty handed." He turned to his men and spread his arms wide. "Plunder the city. Take what you want! Do what you please to the people! This island is ours!"

The pirates yelled in approval, raising their swords high into the air.

"Sephiroth no!" Cloud called desperately, trying to break free from those holding him. "Don't!"

"You touch my people and I'll rip you to pieces!" Axel shouted. "You hear me! I'll kill you!"

A pirate swung his sword at Axel. "Shut up, you worthless churl!" Axel twisted but couldn't move away. The blade slid into his arm, splattering blood everywhere. Axel bit back a scream of pain as he bent over his wound.

"Axel!" Riku called worriedly. He knelt down next to the redhead.

"Stop worrying about me and do something!" Axel hissed though clenched teeth. "You're the guardian! You don't just guard the prince, but the people as well! Think fast and do something!"

"Like what?"

He cast his mind around for inspiration. Cloud was yelling at Sephiroth but was being ignored. Leon was holding onto him tightly, worried that Sephiroth would snap and try to cut the blonde's head off. Vincent had his back turned, refusing to watch as the pirates ran towards the town. Already they could hear the screams of frightened islanders.

This was bad. Everyone had been so focused on finding Sora and Roxas that no one had been paying attention to possible enemies coming from the water. They had all forgotten about Sephiroth when they escaped his ship. Axel was right. Riku was supposed to be a guardian; he was supposed to take care of this place and Sora. And he had failed miserably at both, but he had been talking to the land and water…

Riku's eyes lit up with a sudden idea.

"Sephiroth!" he yelled, jumping to his feet. A pirate stopped him from running forward with a knife to the throat. "You want our treasures, you can have them!"

Sephiroth glanced boredly at Riku. "You have none to give."

"Merlin said we have no need for material things, that doesn't mean we don't have any," Riku countered. "Every legend starts out from a piece of truth, right?"

The pirate captain turned slowly to face him. "And where would this treasure be, boy?"

"Call off your men," Riku ordered. "Don't touch my village or people and I'll lead you to it."

"Riku," Cloud muttered. "What are you saying?"

Riku glanced at him. "I'm sorry, Cloud, but I'd rather lose our riches than our people. You understand, right?"

Cloud did understand and nodded. "Fine."

"Riku are you nuts?!" Axel joined in. "You can't take him there! It's against all our laws!"

"At least there'll be people around to punish me for it later," Riku yelled. He turned to Sephiroth. "I'll take you there, but you call off all your lackeys. You tell them not to hurt anyone or touch this place."

Sephiroth looked the teen up and down, taking in his stiff posture and angry eyes. He stepped forward, standing nearly a foot taller than Riku, slightly impressed when the teen didn't back away.

"Vincent," Sephiroth called. "Is he telling the truth? Or is this a ruse to save his precious people?"

Vincent lifted his head as everyone held their breath. If Vincent revealed their lie, it was all over. Sephiroth and his pirates would continue to attack the town and countless lives would be lost in the battle.

"Vincent?" Sephiroth repeated.

Dark haired covered his face. "He speaks the truth, Captain. The rumors say it is hidden somewhere in the mountains."

Riku would have sighed in relief if it wouldn't have given him away.

"Very well," Sephiroth agreed. "Vincent, retrieve the men. Gather any supplies we will need from this insignificant village and prepare to leave." He drew his sword and rested it casually on Riku's shoulder. "If you are fooling me or try to run, you will be the last I kill." Sephiroth turned and gracefully walked away.

"You are sure this treasure exists?" Sephiroth asked Vincent when they were out of earshot of their prisoners.

"I have never seen it myself," Vincent admitted, "but have always assumed it true. When the islands had contact with the outside world, they were gifted many things as a show of good faith and friendship. Those gifts have to be somewhere."

"True," Sephiroth agreed. "It does not matter; we will not walk away from this place empty handed."

"Captain?"

"I have no intention of sparing these people. Once we have their treasure, we will kill them all and take what we please."

Vincent paused for only half a step but Sephiroth saw the hesitation.

"Is that understood, Vincent?"

"Yes, Captain."

"Good. Because I will not tolerate you betraying me twice. You will help with the slaughter or be a part of it."

"…I understand, Captain Sephiroth." Vincent bowed his head.

* * *

"I still don't understand what you were crying about," Roxas commented as he paced the dark cave blindly. He was following the water's edge to see how far the pond stretched. "You spoke with the land and water. That's great."

"Yeah," Sora agreed quietly. He hadn't had the courage to tell Roxas what had happened while he had been out of it.

"And now Riku knows where we are," Roxas went on hopefully. "They'll find us in no time and kick Ansem's sorry ass." Sora heard a splash and Roxas cried out in surprise.

"Are you okay?"

"I found the end of the pond," Roxas grumbled. Sora laughed quietly. "I wish we could see. At least then we would have a chance to find a way out." He splashed his way back to Sora and felt around until he found his cousin. Sora helped him sit without falling.

"But your light trick will drain your life if you use it too long and my eyes can't see in the dark," Sora sighed. "So there's not much we can do… unless…" Sora sat up and groped for Roxas' hand. "Wait sec, what if we combined our powers?"

"What?"

"You know, like in the old stories," Sora explained. "Wakka used to tell us them back home. The heroes would combine their strength to defeat the bad guys."

"This isn't exactly the same situation."

"Sure it is," Sora insisted. "You can't use your light because it'll drain you. Well what if you channel your light through me? That way, we're using both of our strengths so it doesn't hurt you. And, if you channel it through my eyes, it won't take any effort at all because that's where all my power is already focused, right?"

Roxas thought about it. "There are teachings from the old ways that say in ancient times, when we still had wars, our warriors could combine their talents. But I've never done that kind of thing before. There's a bunch of rules and warnings you have to follow."

"Rules are for fools," Sora dismissed. "Riku and I have lived our entire lives by instinct, so that's what we're gonna use now." Sora shifted around and took Roxas' hands. "Okay, you focus on your light, I'll focus on my eyes."

They both did so, activating their respective powers.

"Now what?" Roxas asked.

"Um… well, we want your power to come into me…" Sora mused.

"So I should imagine my light entering your body and gathering at your eyes," Roxas finished. Sora shrugged.

Roxas closed his eyes and felt his power leak from his hands. His fingers felt warm as the light danced across them and up Sora's arm. Sora giggled as light tickled his skin and finally settled at his eyes. The blue lit up brightly but Sora wasn't able to see beyond the dim glow.

"It's not working," Sora told him. "It's just lighting up my eyes, not letting me see." He frowned.

"We're not combing the powers," Roxas said.

Sora thought it over. "I need to absorb the power. I need to help you maintain it." He closed his eyes. The warmth on his skin was comforting. "Water…"

"What?"

"When you open you eyes under water, you get water in your eyes but you can still see, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So if I get light in my eyes, I'll still able to see, just like in water," Sora explained. He imagined the light as water and pouring into his eyes. It stung at first, but slowly, the pain faded away. The glow dimmed and Sora blinked a few times. He looked around the cave and saw everything perfectly. It was like the sun had risen after a long, starless night. Everything was bright and perfectly visible.

"I can see."

Roxas grinned. "Great, because I can't."

"Do you feel alright?"

"Yes. There's no drain on myself at all."

"Good," Sora stood. "I'm gonna look around, you stay where you are." He released Roxas' hand and was immediately plunged into darkness again. "Ah!" Sora stumbled and reached backwards for where he knew Roxas to be. He grabbed onto the other boy's shoulders and felt Roxas' hands latch onto his waist. Almost instantly, Sora's eyes lit up and he could see again.

"What? What happened?" Roxas asked worriedly. "Are you alright?"

"When you let go of me I couldn't see anymore."

"We must need to stay touching for it to work." Roxas stood. "You'll have to guide me, I still can't see."

"Okay."

They held tightly to each other's hands and stumbled forward. The cave wasn't as large as they had originally thought; it was about the same size as Roxas' room back in the palace. It was the pond that took up most of the cave. The water was still as black as it was before Sora was able to see. The depths made him shiver.

"What is it?"

"The water's creepy."

"Can you see a way out?"

Sora studied the walls carefully but found nothing that would allow them to escape. There weren't even any holes in the ceiling. They must be deep underground. He looked over the pond and squinted. Across the water, at the farthest end of the cave, was a slight indentation in the wall. It was a small opening but Sora couldn't tell from this distance if it led somewhere or if it was just a break in the wall. He told Roxas about it.

"And there's no other opening that you can see?"

"No, just that."

Roxas frowned. "Then we've got no choice. We'll have to swim across."

Sora glanced at the water. "You are so lucky you can't see right now."

They stepped into the water, immediately shivering at the intense cold. It reminded them both of the creatures Ansem controlled. The water felt like tendrils crawling along their bare skin and it felt heavier than normal. The water was thicker, as if it had something mixed into it, like sludge. That would explain why it was so black. Sora forced his body to swim through the water, Roxas helping out the best he could while holding onto his shoulders.

Finally, they made it to the other end of the cave and climbed from the disgusting pond. Sora and Roxas were shivering violently and coughing. They each took their shirts off and wrung them out the best they could.

"I may not be the best swimmer," Sora admitted, "but that was hard."

"There's something not right with that water," Roxas agreed. "Let's just get out of here." He took Sora's hand and pulled his cousin to his feet. "Where's the opening you saw?"

Sora looked around. "There." He led the way and had to squeeze through the small gap between the walls. Roxas followed, wiggling to get through. Once he was, he grabbed Sora's hand and the boys turned around.

"Holy—" Sora's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

The room they found themselves in now was slightly largeR than the one they had just left and didn't have a pond. Instead, gold and silver were piled in the center from the floor all the way to the ceiling. Hand-woven tapestries were hung on the walls, and armor, weapons, and shields made from the richest and strongest alloys and metals were mixed in with the riches. Open treasure chests overflowing with diamonds and jewels littered the ground around the pile of treasure.

"What is it? What do you see?" Roxas demanded.

"The legends are true!" Sora whispered in awe.

He looked at the piles of treasure. Sitting at the very top was a beautiful crown. The minute he laid his eyes on it, Sora couldn't look away. It was mounted on a silver stand high above all the other jewels and coins. There were four points to it, each point with a different jewel. One jewel was a ruby, colored a deep orange-red that flickered like a fire even without light to reflect off of it. The next was a turquoise colored amethyst whose color was deeper than even the center of the ocean. The third was a clear colored diamond that shone brighter than the rest with resilience and clarity. As Sora looked closer, he noticed that the spot for the final jewel was actually empty. A hole was carved in the beautiful gold frame for a diamond shaped jewel, but nothing was present. Sora felt a strange emptiness echo in his heart and desperately wanted to see the crown completed.

He took a step forward and torches on the wall lit up without warning. Roxas and Sora jumped in surprise; Roxas flinching as the sudden brightness stung his eyes. He blinked the spots away and stared with the same awe as Sora at the piles of riches before them.

"Oh…" he muttered, "so this is where it all went."

"You _knew_ about this?" Sora demanded incredulously, his voice bouncing off the walls.

"My parents told me about all the gifts that we were given by the outsiders," Roxas explained, "but after your parents were killed, they were all thrown away. I had thought they threw them into the ocean. I didn't know they hid them in here in the mountain caves."

"This can't all be gifts," Sora argued. "There's enough here to… to…"

"Pacify a royal family," Roxas interrupted. "Or what's left of it."

"These were meant as an apology?"

Roxas shrugged. "That's what my father told me. At the beginning, we exchanged gifts with the outsiders as a show of friendship and good faith. But after the King and Queen were murdered, the navy royalty sent us boatloads of ships with gold and jewels and other things. They were apologizing and trying to bribe us not to shut ourselves away."

"Didn't work."

Roxas shook his head sadly. "I was barely two at the time. It was right after my father had been crowned to replace the King. I don't remember a lot, but my mother always told me that he was really sad. After his brother died, he walked around like the world had ended. And then those boats came." Roxas shook his head and glared at the treasure as if it had personally offended him. "It's the only time I remember him being angry. He ordered the boats to be sunk and the treasure destroyed. After that, the gates were closed and we never had contact with the outsiders again."

"I didn't know," Sora admitted. He touched a golden necklace with a silver crusted diamond. "Were my parents really that loved?"

"I grew up with stories about them," Roxas smiled. "My dad's the younger brother and he always told me about how his older brother picked on him. And the maids that still remember always spoke of them highly. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about them. They were always fair and kind and well liked."

"I wish I could remember them," Sora sighed. "It doesn't seem fair that everyone else got to know them but I didn't."

"It's not," Roxas agreed.

They wandered the treasure pile until they came to the center and stared up at the crown. "What is that?" Sora asked.

"It's a crown," Roxas stated the obvious. "But I wonder whose. Help me climb up."

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"Why not?"

Sora didn't have an answer so he knelt down and let Roxas stand on his shoulders. The blonde was stretched as far as he could, but his fingers only just reached the silver stand the crown rested on.

"I can't reach, can you lift me higher?"

"You're not exactly a lightweight, ya'know," Sora complained, struggling to his feet.

"You're just weak."

Sora managed to stand a few inches higher and Roxas tipped the stand over enough to slide the crown off. He cried in triumphant as he caught it, just as Sora lost his balance and the two tumbled to the ground. They groaned painfully and sat up, rubbing their backs and heads.

"Get some muscle, Sora."

"Lose some weight, Roxas."

The crown hit the ground and rang loudly as it vibrated, drawing their attention. Sora reached over and picked it up.

"It's pretty…" He turned it over, captivated by the jewels. Each one made you feel like you were being swallowed by a different element. The red felt like being engulfed by flames, the turquoise drowned you in water, and the diamond filled you with light. The empty spot at the forefront of the crown was the only part that left you empty and with an intense feeling of incompleteness.

"This couldn't have been a present," Sora muttered, finally looking Roxas. The blonde shook his head, forcing his eyes from the jewels.

"It does seem too valuable to just give away," he agreed. "But then why would it be here?"

"It was placed here for safekeeping."

Sora and Roxas jumped to their feet and whipped around. Ansem had once again snuck up on them and was standing with his black creatures as he smirked at the two princes cockily. The crown in Sora's hand began shaking and the jewels warmed.

"Where the hell do you _come_ from?" Sora muttered.

"What do you mean safekeeping?" Roxas demanded. "How do you know about this place?"

Ansem took a step forward and the crown shook even more. "Because I was the one who helped put it all here."

"What?"

"You see, little princes," Ansem casually strolled around the treasure piles, dragging his hand over the gold. "Long ago, before I ever became a pirate, I worked for the royal navy. I was young, and one of the officers part of the delegation that was negotiating with the Destiny Islands. Everything was going smoothly and the King was excited for the alliance between our two people.

"And then tragedy struck. Just as King and Queen of the Destiny Islands finally deigned us worthy of their glorious presence, they were tragically rundown and murdered by a rogue band of conveniently placed pirates."

"Conveniently placed pirates?" Sora repeated slowly. The crown was vibrating in his hands so hard now that his entire arm shook.

"The sea is vast and no one knew of their coming except those a part of it," Ansem smirked. "Did you not think it a bit much of a coincident that pirates just happened to appear at the exact same spot as the Destiny Islands Royalty and the exact same time?"

"No…" Roxas shook his head.

"What are you saying?" Sora demanded.

"It was my first act of piracy," Ansem declared proudly. "It earned me enough to buy my own ship and crew."

Sora stared at the man with growing horror. "You sold my parents for a ship and crew?" he whispered.

"You caused this? You murdered the King and Queen?" Roxas exclaimed.

"Oh, but it was not as simple as that," Ansem shook his head as he continued speaking. "The blasted fools I had hired were not supposed to kill everyone aboard the ship. They were supposed to bring the prince alive."

Roxas moved slightly in front of Sora. "Me? Why me?"

"Because of that crown in your hands."

The crown shook and Sora glanced at it before returning his attention to Ansem. "I don't understand."

"You see, little prince, there is a jewel missing from the center of that crown. That jewel can only be found in the heart of the true king of the Destiny Islands. Your father was too old for me to control, but you were but a child. I knew that if I could get my hands on you, I could force the jewel from your heart and claim it as my own."

Sora and Roxas felt sick to their stomachs. This man couldn't be serious. He had to be insane. "Why?"

"Because that crown holds the ultimate power of the Destiny Islands. Only when the four stone elements combine will the crown activate and gift its power to whoever wears it."

"The Ancient Crown of Kings," Roxas spoke. "It was forged in the time of wars. It was said that only when evil threatened to engulf our world would the true King return and claim the crown as his own and save us all. But that's just a legend!"

"Everything's a legend," Sora muttered. "But that doesn't explain how you know about this! You're not from these islands!"

"Years ago, a man named Xehanort appeared before me, half-dead and insane. I nursed him for many months, but in the end, my efforts were futile. On his death bed, he told me the secrets of the Destiny Islands and of the power and riches it held. He told me how to find them and claim them as my own."

"None of my people would betray us," Roxas denied. "Not even if they were dying! We are loyal to each other above all else!"

"You have indeed lived a sheltered life," Ansem smirked cruelly, "_fake_ prince."

Sora dropped the crown and charged forward, clenching his fist and intending to hit the man as hard as he could. Roxas, however, caught him around the waist and held him back. The heartless swayed and jerked angrily but did not attack.

"Loyal to only each other indeed," Ansem continued, enjoying Sora's anger. "I was one of the men who came on the ships that delivered this treasure." He swung his arms wide to encompass the gold. "I don't suppose you know what your grief-stricken father did when arrived?"

"He sent you away," Roxas snapped. "He was too proud to accept your bribes."

"Oh, he denied the bribes, yes," Ansem agreed, "but he did not send us away. He did not want anyone left alive who knew the way to his precious islands, so he killed us. He forced us to dispose of the treasure in this cave and then left us here to rot."

Roxas took a step back, his eyes wide. "You're lying. My father would never do something so disgusting!"

Ansem's smile was positively _wicked_. "If you don't believe me, why not see for yourself?"

With a sweeping gesture, the heartless flew to a pile of gold and scattered it across the room in different directions. Piles of bones were revealed of at least five different men. No flesh remained, attesting to how long the carcasses had been trapped in the cave. Tattered clothes colored blue with faded navy symbols still decorated the bones, proving Ansem's words true; the man had once belonged to the royal navy.

Roxas felt his breath leave him in a rush and his legs gave out underneath him. He collapsed to the ground, staring at the bones as if they were in his own. Sora knelt down next to him and wrapped his arms around Roxas' shoulders tightly.

"I would have died with them," Ansem continued, smiling at Roxas' turmoil, "but I remembered Xehanort's words. As one by one my comrades perished, I used their deaths to summon the heartless. And, with the death of the final man, I had enough strength to break free of this prison and escape these retched islands.

"But the endeavor left me very weak, and I was unable to claim the full power the darkness had to offer. I was forced to leave it behind. But now I am stronger. I know much more of the legends and power behind the heartless. Now I can finally claim what I made mine years ago." He smiled then, looking the most insane Sora and Roxas had seen him yet. "And all I need is your precious little heart."

Ansem summoned the heartless to him and Roxas managed to pull himself back together enough to jump to his feet and stand protectively in front of Sora. "No way am I letting you kill my cousin!" he screamed. He lifted his hand and a burst of light shot from his palm.

"Roxas!" Sora yelled.

The brunette felt Roxas collapse against him and was knocked to the ground. His hand brushed something hard and Sora felt blood slip down his wrist. As the glow from the blast of light dimmed, Sora realized it had been the crown that he'd hit and one of the points had cut him. Ansem was howling in pain from the light and the heartless faltered without their master to control them.

The crown began to glow as Sora's blood dripped onto the points and Sora was suddenly filled with the desire to make a wish. It didn't matter what the wish was, so long as it come from deep within his heart. There was only one thing Sora could think to wish for right now and that was for him and Roxas to be safe. He gripped the crown and Roxas tightly and disappeared, Ansem's screams of hate the last thing he heard.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, longer chapter than normal. The rest will probably be like that. I think I pissed my beta off too. I told him the end of the story and he didn't like it and I got mad so I was a little snippy when I replied to him. I haven't heard from him since. So, everyone, be warned, since he didn't like the end, you might not either. I like it, personally. But, whatever.**

**As for this chapter, where you surprised? Did you expect it to be Ansem who killed Sora's parents? I wanted that to be a surprise. I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but, as always, watch the profile for updates.**


	30. Crown of Kings

**Happy Birthday to me!**

**Chapter Thirty: Crown of Kings**

Sora and Roxas landed face first on the ground. They both coughed, spitting out dirt from their mouths and groaning in pain. They squinted against the sunlight streaming into their eyes after being in the dark cave so long. Sora sat up and Roxas was kind enough to crawl off of him.

"Where are we?" Roxas asked, rubbing his eyes.

Sora glanced around. "…Somewhere safe?"

"What?"

Roxas took in their surroundings, eyes widening in surprise. They were at the entrance to the mountain caves. But how had they gotten here? They had been deep within mountain not even moments ago.

"How did we get here?" he asked.

Sora felt something warm in his hand and looked down. He still held the crown tightly, a trace of his blood still smeared on the points. "I know this is gonna sound strange, but I think I wished it."

"What are you talking about, Sora?"

He held up the crown. "When I cut myself on the crown, I made a wish for us to be somewhere safe." he shrugged. "Well, we're somewhere safe."

Roxas took the item from him, noticing how cold it became in his hands. "It… grants wishes?"

"How should I know? You're the legend expert."

Roxas glared. "You're the one making the legends come true."

A rustling from the forest stopped their argument as they heard voices coming from the trees. They were too far to make out the words, but Sora would know that tone anywhere. That voice had been imprinted into his mind forever. It haunted his dreams and made up his nightmares. He felt his blood run cold and in Roxas' hands, the Crown of Kings began to tremble.

Sora leapt to his feet and snatched Roxas' hand, jerking him up. "Hide!" he hissed.

"What is it?"

Sora dragged Roxas up the rocks, hiding them above the cave entrance. He made sure they were both were well concealed, huddling close to the rock face and shaking like a leaf. Roxas tried to ask what was wrong but Sora shushed him desperately. It wasn't long before a group of people appeared from the trees.

"Axel—"

Sora slapped a hand over Roxas' mouth and pulled the blonde down. Sephiroth lead the group pirates who had their friends tied up in the middle of them. Riku and Axel were tied together and looked the worst of them all. They had put up the most fight and had the biggest mouths. Cloud and Leon were behind them, their hands bound so tightly their fingers were turning blue. Merlin calmly brought up the rear, not bound by rope, but kept in place for fear of the younger one's safety. Vincent stood by Sephiroth's side, his head held high and his face carefully blank.

"Traitor," Roxas hissed when he saw him, "I knew he wasn't worth anything."

"Shut up, shut up!" Sora cried. "He'll hear you!"

"Who?"

"Sephiroth!" Sora buried his face in his arms, not wanting to look at his rapist.

Roxas didn't need to see his cousin's aurora to know Sora was terrified. He nudged him gently and managed to get Sora to look at him.

"We need to get them free."

"Are you mad?! That's Sephiroth down there! You can't take him on! He'll kill us!" he shook his head, his brown spikes flying. "No! Worse than that! He'll do worse than kill us!"

"Sora! Get it together!" Roxas hissed. "Those are friends down there! That's Axel and Riku!"

"And Sephiroth!" Sora practically wailed. "You don't understand what he's like, Roxas!"

Roxas glared. "I don't care what he's like. All I care about is that our friends are in danger and we need to help them! Stop being a coward and let's figure out what to do!"

Sora bit his lip and glanced down at the group below. Riku had been shoved forward to the cave entrance and forced onto his knees, Sephiroth's sword at his throat. His eyes were closed and Cloud and Merlin looked even more worried than before.

Riku reached out with his senses and found the feeling that was the land waiting patiently for him. The faceless deity appeared in his mind and waited patiently for him to speak.

"Will you grant us permission to enter the mountain?" he asked.

The land tilted its head. "You have many evils accompanying you."

"It's not my fault! They ambushed us!" Riku exclaimed. "But this doesn't change anything! I still have to save Sora and Roxas."

Land chuckled. "But Guardian, they no longer require saving. It is now you who needs to be saved." Land tilted his head upward and the vision was broken. Riku was back before the cave with Sephiroth's sword at his throat and tied up. Blinking, he looked up as the land had and saw, just above the opening, twin pairs of blue eyes watching the scene.

Roxas looked relieved that Riku had noticed them, since he really had no idea how to get their attention without alerting the pirates to their presence as well. Sora, on the other hand, looked terrified. His blue eyes were wide and beginning to fill with tears. Riku understood. It was hard enough having to see Sephiroth again; it must have been even worse having to see him holding knives to his loved one's throat and knowing full well he'd kill everyone on a whim.

Riku held his lover's gaze and tried to assure him that everything was alright. They would get through this just like every other trial that had been thrown at them. Sora just had to be strong. Sora took strength from Riku's courage and slowly nodded. Riku smiled at him but was brought back to reality by the pressing of cold metal on his throat.

"Well, _Guardian_?" Sephiroth demanded, his tone dripping sarcasm.

"I need… I need help from Axel," Riku told him, thinking of a plan quickly.

"And why would that be?"

"Hey, I'm new here! I don't know all these crazy rituals yet! Someone's gotta help me through them!"

"Cloud will," Sephiroth ordered. He could control Cloud easily. He knew the blonde inside and out. And that annoying redhead was too much of a bother. As soon as the barrier blocking the caves was removed, he had every intention of killing the insolent brat.

Riku mentally cursed. He needed Axel's fire power for his plan to work. "No! I need… royalty. Axel's a Lord from another island. I need someone of higher blood status for it to work." he turned around. "Right Cloud?"

"He's telling the truth, Sephiroth," Cloud hurried to confirm. "I can tell him what to do, but someone of Axel's status has to be the one to show him."

Sephiroth growled. "Very well." he gestured to his men and Axel was shoved next to Riku. "Show him."

"Fine. I will," Axel declared. He leaned over to Riku as they turned to face the cave entrance. "What the hell am I showing you?"

"Just make something up!" Riku hissed. "They won't know the difference!"

"Oh great Gods of our blessed home," Axel began loudly, waving his bound hands in the air, "here the calls of one of your powerful lords… oh mighty Land and Water here our…. pleas…" he hummed in the back of his throat and leaned closer to Riku, whispering out of the side of his mouth. "Anytime now, Riku!"

"Okay," Riku agreed. "Keep humming." He smacked his hands together as he and Axel hummed loudly. Riku leaned closer to Axel and explained his plan. "There's gonna be a flash of light and I want you burn all of our ropes if you can. The barrier on the cave is gonna fall and just run straight into it, okay?"

Still humming, Axel merely nodded. Riku held up five fingers and began counting down. When the last finger dropped, Roxas let a flash of light loose, blinding the pirates. Axel focused his flames on the ropes and imagined them bursting into the flames. Riku felt the sword cut his skin and heard Sephiroth grunt and fall to the ground. Arms wrapped around his shoulder and lips pressed against his.

"Mmm, Sora?" Riku exclaimed.

"It's the strangest thing," Sora's voice spoke. "Roxas' light doesn't blind me anymore. Hurry." he pressed Riku's hands into Axel's. "Follow them; I'm going to get the others before it wears off!"

"Sora wait!" Riku called but Sora's hand slipped from his before he could get a good hold. Axel jerked at his wrist and Roxas led the two into the caves.

Sora had no trouble finding Cloud or Leon. Ever since they had combined powers back in the cave, Roxas' flashes of light didn't blind him like they had before. The two were fighting blindly against some pirates. Cloud had a cut on his arm from a lucky shot by a pirate but they were otherwise unharmed. Sora found two rocks and threw them, hitting both enemies in square in the head.

"Cloud, Leon! Stop!" Sora yelled. "You're gonna hit me!"

The two stopped their blind attacks and Sora hurried up to them, grabbing their arms. "Don't let go!" Sora ordered. "Merlin! Merlin, where are you?"

"Right here, my prince," Merlin assured. He appeared next to Sora calmly. "You forget, I was the one who taught Prince Roxas."

Sora smiled. "Hurry! Into the caves! That's where everyone's hiding!"

They scrambled up the hill, Merlin disabling any pirates stumbling into their path with nothing more than a wave of his hand. They could hear Sephiroth shouting at his men but managed to avoid him as they ran into the cave entrance. As soon as everyone was safely inside, the land outside began to shake and the hill rose. Soon, the entrance was blocked by a mound of dirt and rock and they were plunged into darkness within the caves once again.

"Didn't we just get out of here?" Sora asked.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Roxas sighed. "Where are you?"

"Here," Sora called. They waved their hands around in the dark, smacking everyone in the way until they found each other. Roxas and Sora then combined their powers so that Sora could see. "Good, everyone's in one piece, at least."

"Oh, what's this now?" Merlin chuckled. He reached forward and grabbed Sora's face, titling it up and down. "Are the two of you combining your powers?"

"Yes," Sora and Roxas double toned.

"Well stop!" Cloud suddenly yelled. "I wouldn't expect Sora to know, but Prince Roxas, you should be aware of how dangerous that is!"

"Actually, we have yet to reach that point in his lessons," Merlin offered cheerfully. "But just look at how easily they manage it. There is no arguing between the two powers; they blend perfectly together. It must be because of the shared blood."

"That does not make it any less dangerous," Cloud argued. "One misstep on either of their parts and Sora could lose his eyesight forever or Roxas his. Both of you stop!"

Roxas released Sora's hands instantly. "I thought that was only a risk if you weren't related," he said.

"It's a risk no matter what." Cloud shook his head. "How? How are you two still alive after all the stunts you pull?"

"The devil loves them," Axel teased. He had managed to find Roxas in the dark cave and wrap his arms around him. Roxas leaned into the hold and allowed himself to relax. "Missed you."

"Me too."

"We need more light," Leon's voice echoed off the cave wall. "Can't you people do something?"

Cloud tried to glare at him in the dark. "We're humans, not torches."

"I think I can help," Merlin announced. He rubbed his hands together and blew on his palms. A spark of light appeared and floated above their heads, illuminating the small circle they all sat in. "Ah, much better."

Sora was in Riku's arms in a moment while Cloud subtly shifted closer to Leon. The group was beaten up and covered with dirt, scrapes, and bruises. Riku had a shallow cut on his neck and cheek from Sephiroth's sword that Sora wiped at, trying to stop it from bleeding.

"So where are we?" Riku asked eventually.

"In the mountain caves, duh," Axel muttered. "We have to get out of here and back to the village. We have to protect our people."

"The village?" Roxas asked. "What about the village?"

"That bastard out there is going to destroy it now that we double-crossed him," Axel told him. "We have to get back to protect everyone!"

"Aerith and the others are there as well," Leon added, trading looks with Cloud.

Cloud turned to Sora and Roxas. "Is this how you two got out? Or did you find another way?"

Roxas and Sora looked at each other and then turned their gazes to the crown Roxas held in his hands. He held it up. "Sora did it. With this."

Cloud cursed loudly and grabbed Leon's arm, scrambling away and dragging the brunette with him. Even Merlin, the ever-calm wizard, leaned quickly away from the crown. The four younger teens stared at the men as if they were crazy. Axel took the crown from Roxas and, just for laughs, waved it at the men. He was amazed when Cloud and Merlin actually flinched.

"Okay…"

"Where—" words failed Cloud as he stared at the crown in both amazement and horror.

"Prince Roxas, Prince Sora," Merlin's voice boomed, echoing off the walls with a tone of authority, "Where did you find that crown?"

"It was in a cave," Roxas explained, "full of treasure."

"We found it when we were running away from Ansem."

"This is most important, boys. You need to explain everything that has happened. Leave no detail out. Tell me everything, please."

Roxas and Sora shrugged, and Sora took the crown back from Axel. Axel followed the head ornament with his eyes, frowning at it. He half-listened as Sora and Roxas began explaining what had happened to them, but kept his eyes fixated on the crown. The red ruby made him feel warm and alive by just _looking_ at it. When Axel had held the crown, that ruby had flared to life and given him the feeling that he could do anything with his fire powers, even dry up the world's oceans if he was feeling destructive enough. But as much as Axel had loved holding it himself, the moment he handed it back to Sora, a sense of absolute rightness had filled him. There was no doubt in the young Lord's mind that the crown was Sora's and Sora's alone. Others may use it, but only Sora could _own_ it. Axel turned his attention back to the princes and listened.

"This is a most disturbing tale," Merlin said once they had finished. He tugged at his beard in a thoughtful a gesture.

Cloud, however, was not so calm. "You _combined_ your powers?!" he nearly screeched. Nearly. "Do you have any idea how dangerous that it?"

"I am aware there are some dangers," Roxas frowned. "I was raised with the old ways."

"Then what are they?"

Roxas opened his mouth and shut it, puffing himself up importantly. Axel covered his mouth and snickered.

"Even one mistake can cause you both to lose whatever powers you're trying to combine. Sora could have gone permanently blind and you, Prince, could have died." Cloud shook his head and glanced at Leon. "This is partly why I left; my home is far too complicated."

"Is not." Roxas pouted. "And everything went fine."

"Dumb luck." Cloud deadpanned.

Riku snickered and leaned over to whisper to Sora. "Our specialty." Sora quickly turned his laugh into a cough at Cloud's glare.

"What is done is done," Merlin interrupted. "They are safe now, and that it all that matters. What we must now focus on his preventing the pirate Ansem from accomplishing his goal and protecting our home from the tyrant Sephiroth."

"Our warriors will defend the city," Axel assured. "We can fight off pathetic outsiders."

"Our warriors do not kill," Cloud argued. "And that will put us at a great disadvantage. Sephiroth and his men enjoy the slaughter." Roxas and Axel looked distinctly sick at the mere idea.

"I believe Lord Axel is correct," Merlin said. "We must trust out warriors to defend themselves. Sephiroth is a threat, but Ansem is a greater one. One that only we are capable of dealing with."

"How so?" Riku asked.

"The crown." he gestured to the item in Sora's hands. "That crown was made on the eve of the final battle that took place exactly one hundred years ago to the day."

The boys blinked in surprise. "To the day?"

Merlin nodded. "Yes. Exactly one hundred years ago, the Destiny Islands was almost destroyed by creatures of pure darkness. They swarmed over our lands, destroying everything they touched and driving the people insane with evil thoughts and deeds.

"Our warriors fought desperately, but they were no match for the creatures. They began to lose their hearts and become the very creatures they fought against. Terrified for the future of our race, our four greatest families came together to combine their powers and defeat this menace."

Merlin made sure he had the four teenager's attention before continuing. "Your ancestors, led by the royal family, drained themselves completely of their powers and gifts. They turned their powers into solid form. A ruby of fire, an amethyst of water, a diamond of light, and, the final stone, a quartz the same color as the cloudless sky and with power just as endless.

"These stones were all placed into a crown wrought of our purest gold which was then given to the King of that time; you ancestor, Sora. He used the power of the crown and its jewels to seal the heartless away into these very caves and put a barrier around them to ensure they could never escape.

"However, the power was too much for one man to handle alone and while he succeeded in saving the Destiny Islands, he was unable to save himself. The overwhelming power of the crown consumed him body and destroyed him. His final act before death was to forbid any from entering these mountains for any reason whatsoever."

Merlin fell quiet and Roxas broke the silence with a whispered questioned, his voice filled with horror. "Our own people are the heartless?"

Merlin's face was sad. "Some of them, yes." Roxas and Axel exchanged looks and it took everything Roxas had not to cry for his people.

"The last… the last stone, it's inside my heart," Sora began.

Merlin nodded. "The crown was too powerful to remain whole. When the king died, the quartz he had created disappeared and returned to his family. The other stones also underwent a similar change. Their powers returned to their rightful owners and the crown was then hidden away."

"Then the only way to stop Ansem and the heartless is to use this crown, just like they did a hundred years ago?" Axel asked. Merlin nodded.

"No way!" Riku yelled loudly. "The last time that happened, the king _died_. I'm not letting you take away Sora's power and kill him!"

"Removing the quartz from Sora's heart, if done correctly, will not kill him. It will not even harm him."

"And then what?" Riku demanded. "He uses the crown like the old king and gets consumed by the power and dies anyways? Either way, you're sentencing my lover to death!"

"That is not what I'm trying to do—"

"But it is what you're doing! You're sacrifice one for the many and I'm not letting you sacrifice Sora!"

"Riku…"

"What about the Islands?" Roxas demanded. "What about my home? Our people! Our entire race depends on us stopping Ansem, and Sora's the only one with the power to do it! We'll die otherwise!"

"Then die!" Riku screamed. "I love Sora far more than I do this place and I'm Not. Letting. You. Kill. HIM!"

Sora grabbed Riku and pulled him away from Roxas, worried the two would come to blows. He turned his lover to face him and kissed him hard, only pulling away when breathing became an issue. Riku stared at him in confusion as Sora turned to Merlin.

"Take the quartz out of my heart and let's restore the crown to full power. We'll figure a way to use it without killing me after that."

Riku tried to argue, but Sora silenced him. Merlin merely nodded and summoned his magic.

**A/N: It's my b-day today and I always update something on my birthday. This chapter was actually kinda boring. I'm trying so hard to just finish this story and be done. 'Cause once this story is over I won't be writing anymore fanfiction. Chaos, for those that read it, will never be finished. Once Treasure is complete I will be leaving the fanfiction world. So the sooner I finish this freaking story the better. Gargh!**


	31. Begin the Battle

**The story lives yet! Please enjoy this semi-filler-ish chapter.**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Begin the Battle**

Sora groaned miserably in Riku's lap, twisting his head back and forth unconsciously. Riku whispered soothing noises into his ear while running his fingers through his soft hair. Sora coughed harshly and Riku kissed his forehead, wiping away the drool that had slipped from Sora's mouth. He glanced over at Merlin as the wizard finished fixing the quartz to the crown.

"I thought you said this wouldn't hurt him," Riku snapped, his voice laced with anger.

"He will be all right," Merlin assured. "Having his powers removed is merely exhausting. Let him rest."

"The crown still isn't complete," Roxas commented. "We need to charge our crystals as well."

"I don't like the idea of giving up all my powers just as we're about to go straight into battle," Axel complained.

"You will just have to rely on your physical skills," Cloud told him. "Like an outsider." Axel sneered at him.

Merlin held the crown before Axel and Roxas. "Touch the stones and imagine all of your abilities absorbing into the rocks. Imagine it flowing from you and into the crown."

The two did as instructed. The crystals glowed when their fingers touched them and came alive, eagerly drinking in the power being fed to them. Roxas and Axel shifted uncomfortably at the feeling of something sucking away their abilities. It only took a moment for the transfer to be complete. Roxas and Axel took their hands away from the crystals now shining with power.

"I feel empty," Roxas admitted quietly. Axel wrapped an arm around his shoulder, staring angrily at the crown.

Merlin turned to Riku. "Lord Guardian."

If Riku wasn't so worried about Sora, he would have yelled at Merlin for calling him by the annoying title. Instead, he placed one hand on the amethyst while continuing to stroke Sora's hair soothingly with the other. He barely paid attention as the jewel sucked his powers away.

Merlin held the fully restored crown carefully in his hands. "With this, we will be able to banish the heartless that Ansem has summoned from the darkness. And, with a little luck, him as well."

"How do we do it without killing Sora?" Riku asked.

"I've been thinking about that," Cloud admitted. "The stories say that the King was overwhelmed by power and that's what killed him. If Sora is careful not to use too much power at once, he should be fine."

"But what if he needs more power than he can handle?" Roxas countered. "What's he supposed to do then?"

"That is what we are here for. We will help him fight so that he does not need to overwhelm himself. You may have given away your gifts, but I have not." Cloud carefully took the Crown of Kings from Merlin, looking as though it was going to come alive and bite him at any moment, and placed it in Sora's unresponsive hands. "One of the major flaws in the plan from years ago was that the King fought the final battle alone. He did not want to give up the lives of anymore of his people. Sora will not be fighting alone; he will have us by his side." As soon as Sora held the crown, his eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

Riku smiled down at him, kissing him softly on the lips. "Hey."

"I have a headache," Sora whispered.

"That's normal," Riku assured him. "It'll go away soon."

Sora sat up slowly, Riku supporting him. He took a deep breath and stared down at the crown. "I know how to use it."

The group exchanged looks. "How?" Riku asked.

Sora shook his head. "Instinct? I don't know, I just do." he held the crown up and aimed it towards the caved in wall. Axel's power burst from the crystal in a controlled streak of fire and began to melt the stone. Despite the intense heat it took to melt stone, the seven didn't feel the slightest warmth coming from the fire. It only took minutes for the thick rock to melt away and a new opening to be made.

Cautiously, Leon drew his sword and slipped outside. Cloud followed behind him, mindful of the still steaming rocks. Tracks in the dirt indicated that Sephiroth and his men had gone back towards the city. The two relaxed and waved the others out into the open.

It was nearing evening now; the sky was just starting to turn the colors of sunset. The entire forest surrounding them was silent and no wind blew. Riku turned to Sora, noticing the intense look on his lover's face.

"Sora? Are you okay? That didn't overwhelm you, did it?"

"I'm fine," Sora assured him. "That wasn't even a taste of what this crown can do." Sora stood straight and moved forward, allowing his eyes to slide out of focus and stared into the forest. "Our village is under attack. We must move quickly if we are to help them."

"You can see the town through the trees?" Roxas asked.

"Yes. The crown enhances my own innate abilities."

"Since when do you know what 'innate' means?" Riku frowned. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Everyone step closer," Sora ordered loudly. "You as well, Outsider." Leon lifted an eyebrow and no one could keep the surprise from their faces at the firm tone in which Sora spoke. "This will be the fastest way."

Without waiting for anyone to comply, Sora closed his eyes and imagined all of them in the village. With nothing more than a whispered wish, they disappeared from the cave and suddenly reappeared at the village gates and right in the middle of complete chaos.

The people of Destiny Islands were strong and had many various talents ranging from small things such as moving objects with their minds, to more extreme abilities as controlling an element with nothing more than their strength of will. These talents alone were the only reason the peace-loving islands were able to keep Sephiroth and his men at bay. The islanders would often spare with friends or family, but all the fights they participated in were just for fun; they never took the activity seriously and so never learned how to fight for real. The truth of the matter was that no violence had existed for one hundred years, since the last war. The people of Destiny Islands had forgotten how to fight and forgotten what it was like to watch someone you loved struck down with sword and die surrounded by a pool of their own blood.

"No…" Roxas' eyes widened with horror and he instinctively reached out to use his powers to protect his people. But his powers did not answer and the sense of emptiness he had felt since touching the Crown of Kings intensified tenfold. Grinding his teeth, Roxas whipped around and held out his hand, eyes shining with anger. "Give me a sword." he ordered.

Sora smiled and Riku felt a chill run down his spine. The young prince lifted his hands and gestured at the nearest group of pirates. The pirate's weapons slipped from their fingers and flew towards the group. Roxas snatched one from midair and charged towards the village, screaming with rage. Axel didn't hesitate to follow his lover's lead.

Leon calmly ignored the sword that hovered in front of him and raised his own. Cloud also batted the weapon away. Calmly, he removed his shirt and released his power. Black wings sprouted from his skin and claws extended from his left hand. "I do not require a sword," he said.

Sora nodded. "Follow Prince Roxas and Lord Axel. Gather our scattered people and lead them into battle. I leave the defeat of Sephiroth to you."

Cloud stared hard at Sora for a long moment before turning away. Riku was right; Sora was acting strange. But this was not the time to worry about it. He turned to Leon and the brunette inclined his head, fully intent on following him into the fight. Cloud flashed him a tiny smile and then launched himself into the air. Leon rested a hand on Riku's shoulder before following after his lover, raising his sword high.

"Where is Ansem?" Sora asked, turning to Merlin.

"My castle was built in the grounds of the final battle, in the same place the Heartless were sealed one hundred years ago. He will have gone there to free them."

"Then that is where we shall go as well." he stared hard at Merlin. "I will deal with Ansem. You will not allow the seal on the Heartless to break."

Merlin bowed. "As you command, my King." Merlin flicked his wrist and his staff appeared in a sparkle of light. He bowed once more to Sora and Riku before vanishing into puff of purple smoke. When he was gone, Riku turned to Sora.

"We."

"What?"

"You said 'I will deal with Ansem,' but we both will deal with him."

He met Sora's eyes unwaveringly and Sora gave a tiny smile. "As you wish, Lord Guardian." they disappeared without another word.

* * *

Roxas blocked an overhead swing from his opponent and gritted his teeth as he shoved the pirate back and disarmed him. The pirate's face reflected his shock that a mere boy half his size could disarm him. But Roxas had been well trained with a sword and, even though this was his first time in real combat, he knew how to use it. With the pirate disarmed, Roxas charged forward and ran his sword though the man's belly, leaving him to die on the ground.

The prince turned to survey the streets. Axel was fighting a pirate off to his left. He was making quick work of the man so Roxas didn't feel the need to help out. Down the street, two of the royal soldiers took on another pirate. Together they were managing to keep the man at bay and push him away from the more crowded parts of the city. On his right, a pirate drove a knife through the heart of one his people and Roxas saw red. He screamed loudly and charged. The pirate didn't even have a chance to raise his sword in defense before Roxas cut his head off. The prince swallowed hard against the bile in his throat and knelt next to his soldier.

"You'll be all right. I'll call for a healer, so just hang on," Roxas begged, looking around desperately for help that wasn't there. The soldier, a young man with tan skin and grey eyes, opened his mouth to speak but coughed up blood instead. He gurgled twice, trying urgently to breathe, before going still, his eyes half closing. Roxas stared at the man, biting his lip and forcibly holding back his tears.

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Come on, Prince," Axel whispered into his ear, his voice low and soothing. "There are still more we can save. We have to gather everyone together and get organized or we don't stand a chance."

Roxas took a deep breath and stood, turning away from the dead man. He met Axel's eyes and the redhead carefully wiped away his tears. A shadow passed over them and both looked up to see Cloud flying over the city, his wings wreathed in light from the setting sun.

"Cloud!" Roxas shouted. He waved his sword in the air to catch the man's attention. Cloud turned and landed in front of the two, folding his wings against his back. His claws were stained with blood. "We need to gather everyone together and chase the pirates towards the sea. I want you to find as many people as you can and cover the west part of the village. Axel, you take the east, I'll take the north. Do what you have to do to chase them into the sea."

"I'm not leaving you alone during all this," Axel argued. Roxas shook his head and stepped away.

"Yes, you will. Right now, nothing is more important than saving our people, not even me, Axel." Roxas met his gaze unflinchingly. "Protect my people and you protect me." Axel ground his teeth and forced himself to nod his head. He reached out and kissed Roxas, not letting go until they both needed to breathe.

Cloud allowed them their moment before drawing them back to the current situation. "You should know, Prince, Sora and Riku went with Merlin to fight Ansem."

Roxas nodded, taking deep breaths through his nose to calm himself. "Good. One less thing to worry about. I know they can handle it." he nodded once again to reassure himself that everything would be fine. "Let's not stand here wasting time. You know what to do, so get to it."

The two nodded and Cloud leapt back into the air. Axel turned and began to run in the direction he could hear fighting coming from. Roxas paused before leaving, calling out to Axel. The redhead stopped, his wild hair flying about his head in the wind.

"When we win this fight, let's get married."

Axel gaped at him a moment before grinning wickedly. "I'll hold you to that, Roxas. No taking it back."

Roxas smiled. "You'd better." the prince turned and ran towards the center of the city, blushing slightly as he heard Axel cheer behind him.

* * *

Axel skidded around the corner of one of the back alleys in the village and came upon the ending of a fight.

"Come on you worthless pieces of shit, toughen up. You bitches have power, so use it!"

"Man Cid, lay off. They ain't never been in a fight so of course they're useless."

"Do not call us useless, Outsider."

"Then pick up your damned sword and fight!"

Axel snorted as he watched three of his people argue with two of the outsiders whilst fighting off two pirates. Together, the group made quick work of their enemies and then turned on each other. Thankfully, they fought only with words and not their weapons.

Grinning, Axel clapped his hands as he stepped forward, getting everyone's attention. "Excellent work, men. Very nicely done."

"Who you callin' a man, firefly? I'm one hundred percent female! Don't lump me in with you idiots." Yuffie yelled angrily, waving her shuriken around angrily.

One of the islanders, a teenager named Vann, sneered at her. "Oh, are you a girl? I hadn't noticed. It's hard to tell with that flat chest of yours."

"Why you—"

"Calm your britches**,** girly," Cid grumbled, whacking Yuffie on the head. He peered hard at Axel. "Ain't you that redhead who went with Riku lookin' for Sora and that prince of yours?"

"He is the Lord Axel and you will show him some respect!" Vann yelled. Axel held his hand up for silence.

"We found them. Sora and Riku are fighting Ansem, and Roxas is here in the village."

"Then we must find them! We must guard our prince!" the islanders nodded in agreement.

"No," Axel shook his head. "Roxas thought up a plan. We are going to gather as many of our people as we can and start hunting down the pirates. We're chasing them towards the sea, into the water. Roxas and Cloud are doing the same thing in other parts of the village."

"Cloudy-boy, you say?" Cid grunted. Axel nodded. "Aw'right, if that's the case, we'll give ya a hand."

"Why would you help us?" Vann demanded skeptically. "You are the same as those evil men that attacks us."

Cid had his spear in the young boy's throat before anyone could even blink. However he dropped the weapon in favor of punching the cocky youth in the nose.

Yuffie put their anger into words. "How dare you, you snot nosed little brat! We are nothing like that bastard and his crew! We may be pirates but we at least have honor!" she spat on the ground in anger. "Compare us to that bastard Sephiroth again and we'll give you a first hand demonstration of what type of pirates we _really_ are."

Axel grinned wickedly at his people's shocked faces, especially Vann's. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and leaned towards Cid. "If that's the case, I would love a demonstration."

Cid grunted at him. "We're doing this to help Cloud, boy. We don't give a rat's ass about you."

"And I'll be sure not to forget that." Axel straightened and snapped his fingers. "Let's go hunt us some pirates." The islanders fell into line immediately, making Yuffie roll her eyes.

"We'll go this way, you go that way," Cid grumbled, gesturing for Yuffie to follow with a jerk of his head.

"Vann will go with you," Axel smirked as Vann and Yuffie both yelled loudly in protest. "You two don't know your way around."

"And you just like to mess with people," Cid cursed loudly. "Fine. Let's go, brat. We don't have all day."

Axel didn't bother trying to hide his smile as Cid led the two teens away, trying to ignore their bickering.

"That was cruel, Lord Axel."

"No, that was entertaining."

* * *

Aerith swung her staff high over her head and smashed the end into the skull of an attacking pirate. The man stumbled and fell to the ground, unconscious but not dead. Another pirate grabbed the brunette from behind and lifted her off her feet, pinning her arms and forcing her to drop her weapon.

"Well you're a feisty thing, ain't ya girly?" he breathed into her ear.

Aerith recoiled and futilely tried to break free. The pirate slipped his hand under her dress and Aerith screamed in horror and disgust. With a whoosh of air, the pirate holding her was suddenly sent flying and Aerith fell ungracefully to the road. She blinked in confusion and looked around for her rescuer.

Leon was calmly walking towards her from down the street. His gun blade dyed with blood. She began to smile and thank him, but the man shook his head, pointing up. Aerith turned her eyes skyward and beamed. Cloud was perched on a second story awning, his wings spread wide and silhouetted by the fading sun.

"I take it you found Sora, then?" Aerith asked as Leon helped her to her feet. Cloud leapt from the awning and joined them.

"Yes. What happened here?"

"Sephiroth's men surprised us. A flare shot out from the trees in the direction of the mountains," she gestured to where she was talking about. "They must have been sneaking around the city for hours, waiting for that signal. They jumped out of barrels, appeared from alleys, and some were even hiding in people's homes!" she shook her head helplessly. "I thought… I thought with how much power they have and how often their training that it would be okay. The islanders would easily beat these bore-headed pirates into a pulp."

Cloud just shook his head. "They know how to fight, but when they're training, it's all play. They never hit each other for real, and there hasn't been crime or violence in these Islands since the last war one hundred years ago." Cloud stared at the empty streets around them. "Where you come from, violence is everyday and accepted. Look at us, we ourselves are pirates."

"Your people live in a hole." Leon deadpanned.

Cloud snorted and half smiled. "I guess." he turned to Aerith. "We're trying to hunt down as many pirates as we can and herd them to the ocean."

"They'll drown!"

Leon lifted an eyebrow at her surprised tone. "That's the point."

Aerith nodded quickly. "Okay, let's get to it then."

Cloud quickly gave the other two directions on where to go, and decided to head to the castle, as it was highly likely they would find pirates there trying to steal the royal family's treasures.

"I'll meet you at the ocean," Cloud said.

"Be careful." Aerith whispered.

Leon kissed his lover quickly. "Watch your back. Don't get so caught up in protecting your people that you forget to protect yourself."

"I know how to fight. I'll be fine."

Leon didn't reply as the three went their separate ways.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter had a lot of repetive words. I noticed as I was reading through it that I would say a word like "feeling" and then in the next line say "felt" or "feel." I tried to change it and have a variety of words so that it didn't get boring. Hopefully I improved it some.**

**Also, sorry about the filler-ish quality of this chapter. I really didn't mean to make it out that way. But there are two fights next chapter that I wanted to put together. I won't say who's fighting because it'll ruin the surprise and I'm hoping to trick at least some people. I've already written the first fight and I'm really pleased with it. The second one is giving me a little bit of trouble, though. But fear not, two, possibly three, more chapters and this story is done. I will finish before the year is out, I swear it!**

**Did anyone else think that Vann was a very clichéd minor character…?**


	32. Sephiroth's Defeat

**All right! I didn't make you wait a super long time again for this chapter. Please enjoy.**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Sephiroth's Defeat**

When Cloud arrived at the castle, it was in the same state of chaos as the rest of the city. Fighters were scattered around the lawn, tears and blood staining their bodies as they failed to fight off the pirates. There were dead bodies of men and woman everywhere and Cloud felt a surge of loathing that it was mostly his people that lie on the ground and stared at the sky with lifeless eyes. He glided above the courtyard and spotted his enemy below.

Sephiroth stood calmly in the center of the castle courtyard, seven dead warriors strewn about him in a twisted parody of an angel's halo. Masamune was drawn and glistening cruelly with blood. Next to him stood Vincent. Cloud noticed he had no blood on him and was staring at the carnage with sad, defeated eyes. Anger burst from Cloud's chest and he screamed as he dove from the air.

Sephiroth heard him coming and raised his sword, but Cloud ignored him and flew straight for Vincent. He grabbed the man around the waist and hauled him into the air. Cloud flapped his massive wings hard and landed on one of the castle towers where they had a perfect view of the slaughter below. Carelessly, Cloud dropped Vincent onto the stones. He flexed his claws and attacked before Vincent even had a chance to stand up.

Blood spurted from Vincent's face but Cloud didn't let up his hatred-fueled attacks. He continued to swing his claws and pierce Vincent's skin wherever there was an opening. Vincent forced himself to ignore the pain and called the wind to his aid. A large gust of wind caught Cloud's wings and shoved him back. He crashed onto the stones and glared at the bleeding Vincent with murder flashing in his eyes. They were silent, both gasping for breath.

Slowly, Cloud climbed to his feet. "Look at them." Cloud pointed at the dead bodies below. "Look at them!"

Vincent forced his eyes to the courtyard below. Shame tore through his heart and he had to look away.

"You did this," Cloud hissed.

Vincent shook his head in denial. "No."

"You led him here!" Cloud screeched.

Vincent hissed and met Cloud's accusing gaze. "But you were the one who told him!"

Dark clouds gathered in the sky and the wind began to howl. Vincent charged at Cloud, a dagger appearing in each hand. Metal clanged against metal as Cloud rose his claws in defense. They traded blows on the tower as the wind blew harder and the clouds continued to darken. Cloud was forced to withdraw his wings or risk the wind blowing him away.

"You call me a traitor," Vincent growled at they locked weapons in a stalemate. "I served him years before you came, _child_, and never did I reveal our existence."

"When he saw my wings, I told him the truth. I knew of the outside world then!"

"And when he asked of _my_ powers, I said nothing."

Cloud roared and swung at Vincent blindly. Vincent met his fury with a cold anger of his own. Vincent's daggers found their mark in Cloud's arm and again in his leg. The pain brought Cloud back to himself and he dodged Vincent's next attack by jumping onto the wall.

"You will not turn this on me, Vincent. I may have told him of our people, but I never spoke of how to find us or where. That secret never passed my lips no matter how many times he asked."

"And you think it left mine?"

"If not directly, then indirectly. Why didn't you destroy the map?"

Vincent paused. "We both would have been stranded forever."

Cloud pointed out towards the island. "I would have gladly have given up returning home if it meant saving their lives!"

"You would have grieved."

"But at least they would still be alive!" he shouted.

Cloud's arm dropped as tears wet his eyes. Vincent turned his head away as Cloud jumped to the ground.

"Why didn't you destroy the map? Why didn't you try and hide it? Why did you give it to him?" Cloud stalked forward until he was face to face with Vincent. He grabbed the man's collar and shook him hard. "Why Vincent? Tell me why you let him come here!"

"Because I wanted to come home!" Vincent yelled, shoving Cloud away from him and glaring. "I wanted to come," he repeated. Cloud stared at him in shock. "I have been on the outside much longer than you, Cloud. You had the relief of seeing the good in them. With Sephiroth, all I saw was the bad." Vincent lowered his voice and hung his head. "I yearned for the innocents of our people. For their unconditional kindness. For their peace."

Cloud swallowed. "Sora…"

"Was a godsend," Vincent admitted. "Even though he was raised as an outsider, he still had the purity of our people. Being with him put my weary heart at ease for the first time in years."

"He is our king."

Vincent nodded. "And I wronged him in the worst possible way." Vincent shook his head. "I just wanted to come home."

"Well you're here Vincent, was your selfishness worth it?"

"No, no it wasn't." The clouds faded from the sky and the wind slowed down to a soft breeze.

Cloud spat at Vincent and leapt into the sky.

* * *

Leon allowed himself a smirk as the people of Destiny Island jumped and cheered around him. Sephiroth's men had been chased into the shallows of the ocean and were trapped there by the islander's swords. The children who had not hidden when the fighting began threw stones and trash at the pirate's heads. They had turned it into a game; ten points for a head shot and five for the stomach.

Leon's crew joined him on the ship docks, watching the festivities gleefully. Yuffie was laughing as happily as the islanders and would throw her own stones every so often. Cid and Aerith bore distinctly proud faces.

"There are probably more still hiding in the city and forests," Leon pointed out.

"I'll round up some of these brats and hunt them down," Cid offered. "You can thank me for the hard work later." The girl's rolled their eyes.

"Look!"

Eyes turned towards the little girl that had shouted. She was waving vigorously at the ocean and jumping up and down. The children around her began to squeal with delight and forgot their game of throwing stones. A ship had appeared over the horizon and was quickly sailing to the island.

"It bears the King and Queen!" An Vann **(1)** shouted. The cheers doubled in volume.

"Hold on," Yuffie frowned. "I thought that Roxas was kid was in charge?"

"Roxas is prince," an islander nearby explained. "He is in charge when his parents –the King and Queen– are away."

"I wasn't aware Roxas had any parents," Aerith admitted. "I suppose I am so used to dealing with orphans I hadn't even thought about it."

The islander looked scandalized. "But of course he does! And an older sister, Princess Naminè, as well."

The islander shook his head and turned away to continue watching the approaching ship. Yuffie suddenly grabbed Leon's arm hard.

"Look!" she exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction of the ocean.

Leon turned and stared up into the sky. Clouds had darkened in one place and Leon could feel the breeze pick up.

"It's Vincent," Aerith whispered.

"That's near the palace," Yuffie said.

"And Cloud," Leon cursed. "Stay with islanders and make sure they are not overwhelmed by the pirates."

"Leon wait!" Aerith called, but it was too late. Leon had taken off into the city streets and was running as fast as he could to the palace where he knew, without a doubt, he would find Cloud.

It was whether or not he would find him alive that had his terrified.

* * *

It didn't take long for Leon to arrive at the castle and take in the scene. The fighting had stopped, mostly. It sickened Leon to see so many islanders mutilated and destroyed on the ground at the pirate's feet. Even the few left alive had been beaten badly and had limbs nearly severed off. There was no doubt that it would take many years for the people of the islands to overcome this tragedy.

Above Leon's head, in the sky, was Cloud. He was fighting Vincent while the wind howled and thunder rumbled from the storm appearing over their heads. It was the storm that had paused the slaughter. The pirates had stopped attacking in favor of watching their second-in-command fight with a well-known enemy. The islanders left alive had gathered together and stared in absolute awe. It had never crossed their minds that their powers could ever be used in such extreme ways. Their abilities were for playing with and making lives easier. And yet, here were two of their very own people, using their powers to fight and kill.

Leon whispered a word of luck towards Cloud but did not try to interrupt his fight. Instead, he calmly stepped up to Sephiroth and waited for the man to turn around. It was a long moment before Sephiroth turned his eyes away from the fight and faced Leon with a bored expression.

"And what do you want?" he asked lazily.

Leon smiled cruelly. "Revenge."

Sephiroth lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, is that all?"

"I also want Cloud, but I already have him."

Sephiroth's face darkened. "You have him only because I have allowed it."

Leon's smile grew. "You keep telling yourself that, Sephiroth." He raised his sword. "Well, shall we fight? I want to kill you with my own hands."

"If you think you can, then by all means…" Sephiroth summoned his long sword as Leon raised his gunblade. Neither moved as they stared each other down. A loud clap of thunder acted as a starting bell and it was Leon that charged forward first.

Leon was fast and efficient. Much like Sephiroth's own style of fighting, he did not waste time with flashy moves or pointless banter. He focused on his target –Sephiroth's heart, at the moment– and put his entire mind on destroying it. The world around him faded away until he saw nothing but Sephiroth and felt only his burning desire for revenge.

Their swords clashed and Leon had the advantage up close. But Sephiroth was not even fazed the inconvenience as he used his weight and considerable strength to force Leon back. Effortlessly, he leapt over Leon's head and landed behind him, swinging his sword to cut off his head. Leon ducked the move easily and kicked out, trying to trip Sephiroth up. Sephiroth saw the move coming and stepped back, brining his sword down. Leon caught the attack with his gunblade and rolled away, coming to his feet a few feet away from Sephiroth.

The two circled each other and the pirates, noticing the fight, were torn between watching Sephiroth and Leon or Vincent and Cloud. Both were amazing fights and would probably never be repeated again. Leon paused in his steps and smirked, raising his sword slightly, inviting Sephiroth to attack. The pirate captain accepted the invitation.

Pointing masamuneforward, Sephiroth attacked head on. Leon had been counting on that and shifted his stance slightly. He swung gunblade backwards, behind his shoulder. Just as Sephiroth's long sword reached his face, Leon dodged and brought his gunblade down on the masamune.

The greatest flaw in Sephiroth's was, ironically, its greatest strength. The sword was long and kept perfectly sharp. But it was also feather light and easy to move with one hand. Leon had learned this fact from Cloud, when they had first met. To make a sword that long so light, you had to use a weaker than normal metal; one that was flexible enough to be molded so long without being broken. But that left the blade itself weak and easily broken.

Leon allowed the masamune to cut into his shoulder before bringing the gunblade down hard on the blade. Using his body as a brace, Leon forced his weapon as hard as he could onto the center of the sword. There was the sound of breaking glass as Sephiroth's sword was shattered in the middle. It fell in pieces to the ground, glistening with red hatefully. Sephiroth stumbled as his weapon was destroyed and failed to hide the shock he felt. Leon straightened and ripped the remaining pieces of the sword from his shoulder, tossing them onto the ground at Sephiroth's feet. He raised his head in challenge. **(2)**

Snarling, Sephiroth pulled a dagger from up his sleeve and charged at Leon. Down to one arm, Leon switched was forced to wield his gunblade with one hand. Unlike Sephiroth's sword, his weapon was a good deal heavy and not meant to be wielded with one hand. Sephiroth crashed into him and Leon had to use all his strength just to hold him back. Even so, Sephiroth slowly gained the upper hand, pressing his dagger closer and closer to Leon's exposed throat. Leon sank to one knee and Sephiroth's eyes lit up with triumph.

A shout was heard and that was the only warning Leon or Sephiroth had before Cloud appeared, his wings open and eyes angry. He kicked Sephiroth in the face, forcing him away from Leon. Cloud carefully landed in front of his lover, glaring hatefully at Sephiroth.

"You will not kill my lover," Cloud hissed.

Sephiroth stared in shock. He had not even realized Cloud was there, so focused was he on killing Leon. Cloud charged forward and raised his claws. However before he even got close enough to attack, a black and red blur appeared before him and stopped his movement. Vincent punched Cloud in the jaw, forcing the blonde back.

"And you will not kill my captain," he stated.

They locked gazes. Leon came up behind Cloud and wrapped an arm around his stomach protectively. Cloud was the first to look away, feeling grief dwell at the bottom of his stomach. Since Vincent was a child, he had not known love or kindness. He was abandoned by his parents, enslaved by outsiders, made into an assassin, and had his view of the world twisted into something unrecognizable. He had allowed Sephiroth to come to his home because he was so lost he didn't realize what he was doing was wrong. In Vincent's memories, the Destiny Islands was a place of peace and happiness. It was the only place he had ever known joy. He was so desperate for something, _anything_, besides murder and pirating that he broke all laws and rules and brought Outsiders to his home just so he could return.

Cloud hung his head. Vincent was right. Cloud had seen how horrible the outside world could be, but he was also lucky enough to know the good side too. Leon had taught him that Outsiders were just as cable of love and kindness as his own people were. Vincent had not been allowed that joy.

"You are…" Cloud spoke softly, his voice hesitant, "Our people will not understand, so I cannot speak for them… but," he met Vincent's eyes, "I understand and I forgive you."

Vincent reeled back as if he had been slapped. Never, in his wildest dreams had he expected to hear those words. He stepped back, taking his traditional position next to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth sneered. "You forgive him? How quaint." The pirate stooped to lift a piece of his broken sword. "But this is not over yet."

"Yes it is," Leon spoke. "You're men are defeated. The islanders have them trapped in the ocean and are tracking down any left as we speak."

"These pacifist idiots?"

Leon smirked. "We helped. Face it Sephiroth, you're defeated. You've lost everything." Leon slipped his good arm around Cloud's shoulders. "He's mine now."

"I am not finished yet," Sephiroth growled, stepping forward menacingly.

"No!" Vincent suddenly yelled, his voice strong. "We have lost this battle, Captain. There is nothing more for us here." Vincent placed himself in front of Sephiroth and held his gaze. After a long moment, Sephiroth growled and dropped the broken piece of his sword. Even he knew when to back down.

"Very well." Sephiroth turned on his heel to leave. "We will cut our loses and return to the ship. Now."

"What about your men? They're still trapped in the ocean shallows."

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder briefly. "What about them?" he dismissed. The pirates in the courtyard followed their Captain and Vincent without a thought, ignoring the islanders they passed.

When Sephiroth was out of site, Cloud finally allowed his tense body to relax. He leaned back against Leon, glad for the support.

"Why did you forgive him?" Leon asked quietly.

"Because Vincent has been tortured enough." Cloud sighed. "It doesn't matter anyway. He will live forever with this guilt. My forgiveness will mean little in the long run." Leon nodded silently and kissed the back of Cloud's head.

Cloud smiled with content before stirring and half-glaring at Leon. "So what was all that 'he's mine now' talk? You had better not have been speaking of me as if I were a possession."

"I wasn't," he assured.

Cloud raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Oh really? Then who exactly were you talking about?"

Leon smiled and began walking to the castle gates. "Sora."

Cloud openly frowned. "Really…"

"Yeah, I traded Riku for him."

Cloud laughed. "Don't tell that to Yuffie. She's rather attached to her precious Toruko." Cloud calmly slipped his hand into Leon's, linking their fingers.

"She'll get over it." Leon squeezed once, letting Cloud know his hand was welcome.

"Eventually."

A hesitant voice called out behind them. Cloud and Leon turned to see a small girl dressed in the formal attire of a royal maid in training. She had cuts and bruises adorning her body but was not mortally injured.

"Ah, excuse me…" her voice was soft and trembling as she raised a tiny hand out to them.

Cloud smiled kindly at her. He raised his voice so that everyone in the courtyard could hear. "Head to the beach. Everyone is gathered there. You'll find help and lost friends."

The islanders stood shakily and followed Cloud's instructions. They picked up friends too hurt to walk and the more stubborn men refused to leave their dead friends behind. Slowly, everyone began limping to the beach. Cloud turned back to the little and took her, gently leading her away from the castle.

* * *

On the beach, a type of emergency hospital had been set up under the watchful eye of Aerith. The brunette was moving swiftly between the wounded and healing those she could. Yuffie was busy showing islanders how to bandage and clean wounds. Cid had gathered the stronger men and was helping to move the dead away from those still alive. They shut their empty eyes before covering their dead faces with blankets and coats. The little girl spotted her mother tending to the wounded and ran to her, tears flowing down her cheeks. Cloud watched her until Leon nudged him and pointed to Roxas, who was further down the beach. The two made their way over to him.

Roxas turned and smiled sadly to the blonde. Cloud bowed at the waist before turning to the current King and Queen, who stood with their son. "My Lord, my Lady."

"Mother, Father, this is one of the Trapped I was telling you of, Cloud."

The king inclined his head. "Welcome home, child."

"Thank you, my king," Cloud bowed again and gestured to Leon. "My chosen, the Outsider, Leon." Leon bowed his head, ignoring the royalty's surprised faces.

"May I?" he pointed to the pirates shivering in the water. The king raised an eyebrow.

Leon turned and whistled, raising his hand into the air. Scattered throughout the beach, Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid looked up at the sound. They each moved to pick up their weapon and hurried to Leon's side. Cloud bowed once more to the royalty and joined his crew.

Standing before the captured pirates, Leon spoke clearly in a firm voice. "Sephiroth is defeated."

The pirates screamed and cursed at him.

"I don't care if you believe me or not," he stated coldly. "You have two choices; run back to your ship with your tail between your legs or die."

"You lie knave!" a pirate shouted. "Give me a sword so that I may cut out your tongue and drown you in your own blood!"

Leon was not impressed. "Cloud."

Cloud dodged forward and ran a sword through the man's stomach before he had a chance to react. He keeled over in the water and cloud calmly returned to Leon's side.

"Bastard! You hide behind your lap dogs—"

"Cid."

Cid swung his spear and cut the pirate's throat easily.

"Shall we continue, or will you leave in peace?"

None of the pirates offered anymore complaints. Leon nodded and turned to his crew. "See that their taken to their ship. If they fight or try to run, kill them."

"Aye Captain," Yuffie nodded. Cid gestured the pirates out of the water with his spear and directed them up the beach. Yuffie and Aerith followed him, pointing their weapons at their backs. A few of the warriors joined them, half-wishing someone would try to run so that they could have an excuse to slay one of their murderers.

"So you're just letting them go?" Axel stepped up behind Leon and Cloud.

"Will you kill them?" Cloud asked. Leon offered the redhead his sword. Axel grunted and ignored the weapon, glancing up at the night sky instead.

"There are no stars," he commented.

"It's overcast," Leon dismissed, sheathing his blade.

Cloud however, frowned deeply. "No," he glanced around, "it's darkness."

"What?"

Cloud hurried then to the royalty, Leon and Axel following. "My King—"

The King held his hand up for silence as he listened to a blonde girl speaking. "Continue, my daughter."

"Yes father," the princess glanced once at Cloud before hurrying to finish. "I've sent my husband, Demyx, to the other islands asking for anyone able to help come and care for the wounded and… and to bury the dead." She hung her head sadly.

"Thank you, Namine," the king nodded. The princess and queen locked hands and left to continue treating the injured.

The King turned to Cloud. "Speak."

Cloud did so without delay. "My Lord, I wish your permission to go to the land beyond the wizard's castle."

"That place is sacred. Not even royalty may go their without asking the Gods first."

"It is also where a fight continues now!" Cloud insisted. "Look at the sky! There are no stars. Darkness covers them."

The King glanced upwards, not understanding. Roxas however, did. "Sora!" he exclaimed. "That's where he is, isn't it? He's fighting Ansem on the Holy Grounds!" he met Cloud's eyes. "They're fighting on the original King's grave!"

* * *

**(1) Vann: he was one of the islanders who was briefly shown last chapter. No one of importance.**

**(2) Masume breaking: Masume would sooo never break this easily. But I needed for Sephiroth to be defeated, but I didn't want him hurt or wounded. This was the best way I could think of. He breaks his sword and when he tries to continue anyway, Vincent stops him and shoved the fact that they've been defeated in his face.**

* * *

**So there's the chapter. Was anyone surprised that Cloud went after Vincent instead of Sephiroth? I was hoping to surprise a few people with that move. I did it because while Cloud really hates Sephiroth, killing and plundering is what he expects from him. Cloud was actually angry at Vincent because Vincent was in a position to stop Sephiroth from coming, but he didn't and allowed Seph to invade the Islands. So that's why Cloud went after Vincent instead of Seph.**

**I think the next chapter might be the last one before the Epilogue. We'll have to see how long it is. It will be completely devoted to Riku and Sora fighting off Ansem and some other things.**


	33. Power of Royalty the People They Serve

**I was bad, I didn't wait for my beta before posting this. Sorry. Final notes are at the end.**

**Starting Date: July 3****rd**** 2005**

**Ending Date: March 14****th**** 2009**

**The fact that I've been working on this story for four years just blows my mind…**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Power of Royalty and the People They Serve**

Sora and Riku appeared next to Merlin before the closed gates of the wizard's castle. From within, the three could sense malicious evil and darkness, swirling around a center point as it tried to break free from its weakening cage. Merlin shuddered as he leaned on his staff and felt his old age. Riku took half a step backwards, shaking his head to rid it of the suddenly horrible thoughts that plagued him.

"I can go no further, my king," Merlin informed them sadly. "This castle no longer acknowledges me as its master. The evil within is too much for my old body to withstand."

"You are dismissed from my side, then," Sora answered. "Let no one enter this place until I give permission."

"Yes, my King," Merlin bowed and moved away from the gates, taking up a sentry position on the road.

"What do you plan to do?" Riku asked, turning towards Sora. "That's a lot of evil."

"I don't know," Sora admitted in a whisper. He glared at the wall, his eyes hard. "But I will not fail. My home will not succumb to darkness."

He stepped forward and raised his arms over his head. With a scream that sounded like a banshee from one of Wakka's old tales, Sora jerked his arms down and channeled the power of the Crown of Kings though his body. It hurt, but Sora ignored the pain as the castle gates were forced open by his power.

Sora started forward but stopped when Riku snatched his hand. He turned to face him as Riku lifted his hand and kissed his knuckles. "Our home, Sora. And when this is all over, we're destroying that crown."

Inside the castle was nothing but darkness. With Roxas' power flowing from the crown into Sora, he could see without any trouble. Riku refused to release Sora's hand as they stumbled through the halls, weary of any sign of attack. Wordless voices echoed all around them and the darkness clung to their skin. Riku was shivering from cold within minutes, but Sora didn't seem affected. The Crown of Kings protected him.

When the two reached the courtyard, it was just as dark outside as it had been inside. In the center of the large yard was the biggest hole either boy had ever seen, filled to the brim with swirling darkness. Riku and Sora stared in horror as black, mutated hands reached from the center of the pool, trying to claw their way free. The sound of beasts roaring reverberated around them, steadily growing louder and louder.

"It's the soul of the darkness," Sora whispered. "The louder the roaring gets, the closer the darkness is to escaping."

Riku swallowed. "How do we seal it?"

"We have to stop the one opening it and hope it's not too late," Sora declared. He lifted a hand and pointed to the sky. "There."

Sitting calmly atop of one of the castle towers was none other than Ansem. His white hair and clothes stuck out brightly in the surrounding darkness as the cold breeze played with his white hair. The pirate smiled wickedly as he brandished his sword invitingly.

"Stop him," Sora said, "and we stop the darkness too."

Riku grinned. "Is that all? This will be easier than I thought."

"Don't jinx us."

"Knock on wood."

"Saying it doesn't do anything; you actually have to knock on wood."

"I'd rather knock on Ansem's head," Riku muttered. He reached inside himself and frowned at the supreme lack of… anything. No power jumped to his fingertips, his limbs didn't tinkle like they normally did before he entered a fight. No, the Crown of Kings had taken all his powers, just as Merlin had said it would. Riku would have to fight this battle as a normal person.

"Like an Outsider," he smirked.

"What?"

Riku drew the sword he had taken from the pirates before coming to the castle. "I'll clear a path. You can deal with Ansem, right?"

"Of course."

Riku grinned wickedly and charged forward without another word. It took only moments for the Heartless to surround him. He attacked without mercy, slicing an arm here, and cutting off a head there. For every heartless he took out, two more appeared to take their comrade's place. Riku was slowly being beat back, overwhelmed by their sheer numbers.

Suddenly, the smaller heartless sank into the ground and scattered. From the pit, the roaring had gotten louder and new creatures were emerging. They flapped their leathery wings and materialized swords from the darkness around them. Riku charged at them, not allowing himself to be intimidated. These new creatures were stronger and smarter than the ones he'd been fighting a moment ago. They parried his thrusts and returned with powerful attacks of their own. When Riku did finally manage to get a hit in, his sword bounced of the creature's arm harmlessly. It was like he was back in the Navy owned lands, fighting Sora playfully with a wooden sword.

A fist came out of nowhere and sent Riku flying. He gritted his teeth and stood back up, raising his rather useless sword. Angrily, Riku spat a tooth from his mouth. He needed a better weapon. One that would actually hurt these new heartless. But where could he possibly get one?

A heartless charged him and Riku raised his sword in defense. But before the blow could land, something black appeared before him. A loud clicking sound reached his eyes and Bug formed in front of the teen, swaying quickly. He melted back into the ground and rushed to Riku, crawling his way up Riku's body. Bug stretched himself over Riku's sword until the entire sword and part of Riku's arm was covered.

"Bug?" Riku whispered.

A light slowly began to glow from the tip of the sword. It made its way down the handle and twisted around Riku's arm. It became brighter and brighter until Riku had to close his eyes because the light stung. When it finally faded away, Riku stared at his new weapon in awe.

Bug had vanished completely and in his place was sharp sword. The blade was a shape reminiscent of a bat wing with a single half angel wing at the top. The center handle possessed a lidless eye while the handle itself was half angel, half demon and colored black and silver. At the end was a black heart outlined in red hanging from the handle by a silver chain.

"What?" Riku breathed.

"Way to Dawn," Sora spoke the name of the sword confidently. "A perfect harmony of light and dark. Only one who has mastery of both may wield this weapon. He is called the Twilight Master."

Riku raised an eyebrow and swung the sword experimentally. It was light and fast, a perfect fit for his hand. With renewed strength, Riku twirled his sword and took a fighting stance. The heartless hesitated for only a moment before flying at Riku once again.

This time, the fight went differently. Riku dodged attacks and was able to hurt the new heartless with his sword. He felt reenergized; as though his powers had been returned to him. He sliced through the heartless with ease, clearing a path for Sora just as he'd promised.

Finally, gasping and panting, Riku fell to his knees. He was bruised and bloody but had come out of the fight victorious. All the heartless were defeated—for now. He sat on the ground near the black hole and Sora came up behind him, wrapping his arms around Riku's shoulders.

"Thank you, Master Twilight," he said.

"Yeah whatever," Riku shrugged. He turned to kiss Sora. "Now all you gotta do is take out Ansem. I'll keep him from calling for any help, don't worry."

Sora smiled. "I have the utmost faith in you."

Riku frowned. "And don't forget, once this is over, we're destroying that crown. I like you better without it."

Sora rolled his eyes and stepped away from Riku, staring up at Ansem challenging. Ansem wasn't fazed by Riku's victory over his creatures and merely waved invitingly at Sora. Sora smirked and leapt into the air, his fist raised.

***

Cloud had been grounded the moment he reached the path that lead to Merlin's castle. His wings had become heavy and weak. He tried to keep going, but they refused to move and eventually collapsed altogether. Now he had hidden them again, protecting his wings from the evil aura leaking from the castle.

The King had reluctantly agreed to give them permission to enter the castle's sacred grounds. It was known to very few people that the original king was buried in an unmarked grave in the castle courtyard. When he was still alive, he had ordered that that was to be the location of where his body was to be buried. The perfect place for him to always protect his precious home, even after death. His wife insisted on being buried with them and so they lay together, forever protecting the Destiny Islands.

Roxas lead the way on foot and the castle loomed into view. The once brightly lit windows were shattered and dark. Where it had once looked welcoming, if not a little intimidating, the castle was now dark and foreboding. Evil seeped through every wall, whispering of vile deeds and cruel thoughts. It pulled at their hearts, enticing them to commit acts of evil.

"Merlin!" Roxas called as they arrived at the gates. The old man was leaning heavily against his staff, barely able to keep himself standing up. He turned slowly at Roxas' shout, sparing them a sad smile before turning back to the gates.

"What's happening?" Roxas asked, skidding to a halt next to the man. "Where are Sora and Riku?"

"Battling Ansem and his creatures," Merlin replied his breathing short and ragged. "Forgive me, my prince, but caging this evil requires all of my power and concentration."

"Then allow me to help," Roxas requested gently, placing a hand on the wizard's shoulder.

"No prince," Merlin shook his head. "You have already given your power to the Crown—"

"You do not need special powers to make a wish," Roxas interrupted firmly. "Let us help you."

Without warning, the castle gates were suddenly blasted open. A black fog crawled over their skin, making everyone shudder in disgust. Roxas forced himself to ignore this and took Merlin's hand.

"I may have given up my power," he began boldly, "but I am still Prince. And so long as I live and breathe, I will not allow my home to fall to anyone or anything!"

Merlin stood on shaky legs. "Nor will I, your majesty."

"Same here," Axel declared as he stepped forward. He pulled Merlin's arm over his shoulder to support the weakened man. Roxas grasped Merlin's hand and the three closed their eyes. Together, they made a wish from the deepest, most sincere part of their hearts, and the castle gates began to close once again.

***

Sora dodged a fist and twisted his body, kicking out at Ansem's chest. The man blocked the blow easily and shoved Sora away, regaining his footing. The brunette scowled and launched into a series of attacks, his fists and feet becoming blurs as he lashed out with incredible speed. Ansem blocked every one of the attacks, smirking in amusement at Sora's efforts.

"Is that all you have to offer, little King?" the man mocked. "And even with the power that crown gifts to you." He leapt forward and slammed a fist into Sora's chest, sending the boy flying.

Annoyed, Sora blew out a breath, rubbing his ribs. He stood up and calmly wiped some dirt from his clothes. "It would appear that this fight can not be won with physical prowess," Sora mused. "I suppose we should begin fighting on a different level."

Sora held out his hand and willed his power to come forth. The jewels on the crown glowed and light began to swirl about Sora's hand. A sword shaped like a key appeared. It was light and durable, the blade colored the same shade as the moon. The guard wrapped about it was solid gold, the tip possessing a heart with three deadly sharp spikes at the end. A heart with gold twisted within it dangled from a small chain attached to the handle. Sora grasped the handle tightly and twirled the blade in his hand.

"Ultima…" Ansem breathed and a wicked smile spread across his face. "It would seem I chose the correct prince."

"I would disagree," Sora stated and charged forward, his weapon raised high.

Sora swung down, aiming for Ansem's head. But before his sword could hit, Ansem summoned his own weapon. Somehow, Sora knew the blade was called Soul Eater. It resembled a red and black demon's wing with an evil eye in the center of the hilt. It was a double-edged blade and even sharper than his own Ultima.

Ansem blocked Sora's attack easily. The blades clanged as they met, the loud sound of metal against metal. Sora jumped back and attacked again, drawing on the power of the Crown of Kings to enhance his speed. His blade flashed but Ansem was able to dodge or block every strike. Trying a new tactic, Sora summoned Axel's fire and willed to engulf his weapon. He attacked again, and this time Ansem was the one who had to retreat.

They continued trading blows, Sora using all the tricks and skills the Crown of Kings gave him. But Ansem continued to meet him blow for blow. So far, neither fighter had landed a single hit, but Sora was not deceived. He was losing, badly. While Sora was starting to get tired, his breathing becoming heavier, Ansem was just as confident as ever. His smirk never slipped from his face and, more often than not, Sora was the one on the defensive. Ansem swung for his head and Sora leapt away, falling to one knee as a small cut appeared on his cheek.

This was going very badly.

***

Roxas fell to his knees, his head spinning. He could hear the shouts of his friends but couldn't answer them. His eyes glazed over and it felt as if Cloud had just grabbed him and leapt into the air without warning. Roxas' body was floating above the castle and he vaguely noticed the feeling of something pulling at his heart. He saw Sora fighting against Ansem, a weapon Roxas had never seen outside a story book was in his hand.

"Sora…?" Roxas whispered. He watched as his cousin threw everything he had into his attacks. But it was no use. Ansem was a far better swordsman and was able to block all of Sora's strikes. As Roxas watched, Sora began breathing harder and his movements became sluggish. He was tiring quickly while Ansem was still going strong.

Roxas cursed in his head and looked around, wondering where Riku could possibly be. He spotted the teen on the ground, at the edge of a black vortex. Riku was fighting against heartless after heartless as they spawned from the vortex. He was also wielding a weapon that Roxas had only heard about in stories. Riku was practically overwhelmed with keeping the creatures at bay. There was no way he'd be able to help Sora now.

It was then Roxas noticed it. A single black tendril was swirling upwards from the black hole. It blended in with the darkness around them to the point where it was almost invisible. Roxas squinted hard and followed the tendril with his eyes. It was heading straight to Ansem, wrapping around his body and disappearing. Ansem was constantly draining power from the vortex. No wonder Sore couldn't lay a hand on him!

Roxas frowned deeply and let the vision fade away. He opened his eyes to find himself in Axel's arms, surround by Cloud and his outsider friends. Merlin was still fighting valiantly to contain the darkness.

"Roxas!" Axel exclaimed.

"I had a vision," Roxas explained, sitting up. "Of Sora fighting Ansem."

"But how? You gave all your powers to the Crown of Kings!"

Roxas smiled slightly. "I don't need magic to know when my own blood is in danger." He stood up, Axel helping him. "Ansem is feeding off the heartless to make himself stronger. He has a constant reservoir of power at his fingertips."

"How's Sora supposed to fight against that?" Yuffie demanded loudly. "That's cheating!"

"He needs help," Roxas agreed. "Riku's doing all he can to keep the heartless away." Roxas took a deep breath and turned to Axel. "I'm going to go help him."

"Over my dead bod—mmph!"

Axel's protests were silenced as Roxas kissed him. He held the lip-lock for a moment before pulling away and staring up into Axel's eyes.

"Sora needs help. I'm going to help him. While I'm doing that, I need you to do something for me."

Axel glared. "And that would be?"

"Go back to the village. If Ansem is going to draw from an endless source of power, then so is Sora."

"What are you talking about?"

"Ask our people to lend him their power. Ask them to give Sora everything they have. If all of us stand together and join our powers into one, Ansem and his heartless will never be able to overcome us."

Axel thought about it. "But will Sora be able to handle that much power?"

"I'll be there to help him," Roxas assured. "Please Axel."

The redhead lord growled, running a hand angrily through his hair. He grabbed Roxas and pulled him tightly against his body. "Don't forget, we're getting married after all this. Even if I have to chase you into the afterworld and bring you back to life kicking and screaming."

Roxas smiled. "My parents will be thrilled, I'm sure." They kissed once more, staying together for a long minute. When Roxas pulled away, he was smiling. "I'll see you soon, fiancé."

"Damn right you will. Remember Princy, kicking and screaming." Axel finally let go of him and ran back towards the village as fast as his legs could carry him. Roxas turned to Cloud.

"Help Merlin," he ordered. "Do whatever it takes to keep the darkness contained."

"I will," Cloud assured. "Be careful."

Roxas nodded and was gone, running straight to where he knew Sora would be. Cloud joined Merlin and grasped the wizard's hand. However even with help, Merlin was weakening too fast. The castle gates could not be closed and from the darkness seeping out of them creatures were beginning to form. Leon scowled and drew his gunblade.

"I'm really getting sick of being the bystander," he said.

"Same here!" Yuffie cheered, drawing her weapon. "Let's kick some bad-guy butt!"

Cid twirled his spear while Aerith pulled out her staff. "Leave the healing to me. You guys just kick some butt."

With matching battle cries, the three Outsiders charged into battle.

***

Roxas moved as quickly as he could through the dark corridors of Merlin's castle. Without his ability to see in the dark, he was as blind as a bat during the day. He stumbled through the passageways, relying on his memory to get him to where he wanted to be. Roxas had practically grown up in this place, always coming to the castle so Merlin could teach him.

When Roxas finally stumbled into the courtyard, everything was the same as in his vision. Riku was still valiantly fighting heartless and Sora was fearlessly trading blows with Ansem. Roxas ran through the courtyard, dodging the heartless that appeared to block his way. He'd barely made it halfway before he was surrounded. Roxas drew his sword, bracing himself for a fight.

A heartless leapt at him and Roxas raised his sword to defend himself. But before the creature could get close it exploded into swirling darkness. Riku moved quickly, slashing down all the heartless trapping Roxas.

"What are you doing here?" Riku demanded out of breath. "Where's Sephiroth?"

"He's been defeated," Roxas told him quickly. "Ansem is drawing upon the darkness coming from the heartless to keep himself strong and energized."

Riku cursed. He whipped around and took his anger out on a couple of heartless that had appeared behind them. "Fucking cheat!" Riku shouted. "I'd be there with Sora, but these bastards just keep coming. If I don't take care of them when they first appear, they'll be overrunning the Island in minutes!"

"Then keep fighting them and leave helping Sora to me," Roxas ordered. "Don't worry, Riku. Axel's working on getting Sora some help right now."

Riku grunted. "I'll have to take your word for that," he turned to Roxas, his eyes serious. "Be careful. I might not be able to protect you twice."

Roxas nodded and ran, hearing Riku continue to fight. Sora and Ansem were fighting on the ground at the opposite end of the courtyard than Riku. "Sora!" Roxas shouted and skidded to a halt just outside the battlefield the two opponents had created. Sora glanced back at the shout and Ansem used the opportunity to slice his arm with his sword. With a cry, Sora jumped away and Roxas ran to his side.

"Get out of here, Roxas," Sora ordered, clutching his arm. "This is dangerous."

"No way," Roxas shook his head. "I'm just as much a prince as you are. I'm here to help."

Across from then, Ansem laughed. "And what do you plan to do, useless Prince? You have no powers and that weapon will not harm me." He laughed again. "But come, if you think you can fight, I will be more than pleased to show you how foolish you are."

"Get out of here," Sora hissed. Roxas ignored him and stood, helping Sora to his feet.

"Sora, did you forget that I was raised to one day become King?" Roxas smiled. "I know a lot more of our people's secrets than you do." Roxas reached out and placed a hand on Ultima. "I may not have my powers, but I can still summon this."

Ultima glowed and vanished. Sora gasped in shock but Roxas merely took his hands and turned them to face each other. He looked Sora straight in the eye and spoke seriously. "Do you swear, as a blood prince of Destiny Islands to always protect and cherish our home?"

Sora frowned in confusion but didn't ask questions. Roxas' face was a mask seriousness as he stared hard at him. "Always."

Roxas smiled. "Then I accept your oath, Prince Sora. Do you swear to use any and all power you posses only in the protection and betterment of our people?"

"I do."

"Then I acknowledge your power," Roxas smiled. "On behalf of our people, I give you Oblivion."

Sora and Roxas' left hands were suddenly bathed in light. A new weapon appeared and Sora grasped it firmly. The blade and handle were solid black with a single strip of silver running through the center of the blade. The hilt was metal and the shape of bat wings with a black diamond in the center. A black colored replica of Sora's crown necklace dangled from a chain at the end of the hilt. At the top, the sword stretched out in a shape reminiscent of a key, forming the symbol of darkness. **(1) Kanji for darkness)**

"And the loyalty of the Oathkeeper."

Oathkeeper was unlike any weapon Sora had ever seen. The blade had been cut in half so that it was double-edged. The blade was a striking mix of white and silver colors. At the top, it was connected in the shape of a heart, one half of the heart colored black, while the other was the same shade as the sun. The teeth of the weapon were a mix between blue, purple, yellow, and white and, in contrast to Oblivion, formed the symbol for light. **(2) Kanji for light)** The hilt was shaped with angel wings and a silver heart in the center. The keychain attached looked like something a child would make for their first crush.

Roxas released both of Sora's hand and stepped away. Sora stared at his new weapons in wonder; each gave off their own distinct auras that twisted and blended together to create the perfect balance of light and dark. But as Sora watched, each blade lost its shine and became heavy in Sora's hands. He frowned in confusion, turning to Roxas.

"What…?"

"Shh. Just wait. Axel will have reached them by now."

Sora turned to see Ansem staring at him in a mix of anger and well disguised fear. He had not planned on this. Suddenly, Sora felt a strange feeling deep within his heart. He felt warmth and hope spreading throughout his entire body. Oathkeeper began to shine. Then a new feeling reached him, this one angry and desiring revenge. Oblivion glowed and became lighter in Sora's hand. Sora closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"The people of Destiny Islands—your people—are helping you to fight. So long as they believe in you, you may wield these blades forever."

"Why me?" Sora whispered. "Why not you?"

Roxas just smiled.

"Fools!" Ansem shouted. "So you have a couple of new toys. Don't think that will be enough to defeat me! I have the endless power of darkness at my fingertips! You'll never defeat me!"

He roared and was suddenly flying towards them, his weapon gleaming viciously. Roxas dove out of the way while Sora braced himself to take the attack head on. He raised Oathkeeper to block and swung Oblivion at Ansem's exposed side, sending the man flying. Ansem recovered almost instantly and was attacking Sora once again.

Sora was able to block all of Ansem's mad swings and even parry with a few of his own. Sora was now able to move faster, making Ansem's swift attacks look like they were crawling. His speed and strength had increased and he could feel the hope and anger of his people coursing through his veins. They were counting on him. They believed he could save them; they knew he would satisfy their need for revenge.

Sora caught Ansem's sword between both of his and twisted, sending the weapon flying. Ansem yelled in anger and stumbled back, defenseless. Sora held his weapons ready, smirking confidently.

"Don't think you have won, boy," Ansem hissed. "I am more powerful than you could possibly imagine! Heartless! Come to me! Obey your Master!"

All the heartless on the ground stopped and slowly began rising into the air. Their bodies dissolved into mist that encircled Ansem. As Sora watched, Ansem was lifted into the dark sky. His body bulged and his muscles became larger. His shirt was ripped off, revealing tattoos across his chest and arms. The Crown of Kings whispered into Sora's ear that those were the markings of evil. That was why the heartless obeyed him.

Ansem laughed and his voice had become much deeper. He stared down at Sora and smirked, raising a hand towards the sky. The darkness gathered above his head, becoming solid. Ansem launched it towards Sora who barely managed to dodge. Ansem gathered more darkness and kept hurling the makeshift boulders. Sora was doing his best to move, but if felt like the dark around him had become tangible. His body was sluggish, as if someone was trying to hold him back.

The faster Sora tried to move, the slower his legs became. He tried to draw on the power Riku had given the Crown of Kings, but the crown didn't respond. Instead, Sora felt a sharp burn from the metal and flinched in pain. He lost his footing and fell, his body too heavy to lift back up. Sora grounded his teeth as he tried to stand. He looked up as a shadow fell over him and watched as Ansem hurled a dark boulder straight at his head.

Just as the boulder was about to hit him, Sora felt his body lifted up. Riku appeared from seemingly nowhere and grabbed Sora around the waist, hurling them both out of the way. Sora groaned as they rolled across the ground, pieces of rock and earth flying around them.

"I can't move," Sora hissed.

"I know the feeling," Riku forced out. His body was just as heavy as Sora's. There was no way he would be able to get them out of the way twice. From the sky, Ansem readied another boulder, this one larger than all the others. He smirked and continued to gather his power until the boulder was large enough to hit every inch of the courtyard.

Sora looked up in despair. "I can't move to stop that."

"There must be something we can do," Riku cried as he vainly tried to stand up. "I'm not gonna lie here and die!" he fell to the ground, gasping for breath.

From across the courtyard, Roxas struggled to his knees, bent in half. With great effort he reached for his sword and, with a shaking hand, sliced his palms. Roxas placed both his bleeding hands on the ground and closed his eyes, reciting a prayer.

Riku and Sora both gasped as the courtyard and Ansem vanished. Their bodies no longer felt heavy and they were able to stand up. Riku and Sora looked around, recognizing the landscape from when Riku had contacted Sora during the time he had been kidnapped by Ansem and trapped in the cave. The strange realm was still split in two, with water on one side and land on the other. Sora was ankle deep in the water while Riku stood in sand. They clutched each other's hands and looked around in horror.

When they had last seen the home of the Land and Water, it had been brightly lit with pure shining water and rich, brown sand. But now it was dark. The water was turning black with only a few places valiantly fighting to remain blue. The sand was an ugly grayish color and slowly turning to mud.

"Water?" Sora called.

"Yo Land?" Riku shouted.

From one of the remaining blue spots, the Water bubbled up. It took the form of a faceless woman once again but she was hunched over, as if in pain. The Land did not answer Riku's call.

"Water? What's happened to you?" Sora asked. He tried to step forward but the water around his ankles trapped him in place.

"The darkness is destroying our home and us with it," the Water explained. Her voice had lost its majestic quality and was cracked. "We are fighting against its hold but are quickly losing. I can no longer hear the Land."

Riku squeezed Sora's hand tightly. "Is that why we can't stand anymore? Our powers are connected to you and as you fade, so do we."

Water nodded.

"What can we do?" Sora asked. "Roxas gave me the keyblades; if only I had the strength to wield them!"

"You will have that strength soon, Prince," Water told him. "I will give you all the strength I have left and you will use it to rid this world of Ansem and his heartless."

"One hit isn't going to take that powerhouse out," Riku argued.

"It is all I can give to you," Water sighed.

"Then I will make it work," Sora stated boldly. "Maybe, just maybe, if I can hit him hard enough that he'll fall into that pit of darkness, we can trap him there."

"Trap him how?" Riku asked. Sora bit his lip, not having an answer.

"The Crown of Kings—" the Water's voice cut off and her form suddenly disappeared with a splash.

"Water!" Sora shouted.

The last of the blue water was swallowed by the black. Riku grabbed Sora and pulled him onto the decaying land just as the water began to bubble. Sora turned to Riku.

"One shot," he said.

"One shot," Riku confirmed. He leaned down and kissed him. "I believe in you."

"Save me if I fall?"

"You won't."

The world faded away and Sora opened his eyes. His body felt light enough again to stand but was still stiff. He really would only get one shot. Sora looked down and saw Riku pinned to the ground, staring up at him with pain filled eyes.

"I believe in you," he gasped out. Sora nodded and summoned his keyblades just as Ansem launched his final attack.

To Riku and Roxas, everything seemed to pass in slow motion. They watched Sora launch himself into the air, his swords held high at his sides. Roxas closed his eyes, wishing with all his might that Sora would be strong enough to break through the boulder and knock Ansem down. Riku felt his heart break as he watched his lover risking his life to save a world they barely knew but had fallen in love with all the same.

Sora collided with the darkness and thrust his weapons forward, piercing the center. Tendrils clawed at him and heartless appeared, swinging their claws at him. Sora felt their nails cut his skin but pressed forward, summoning every last bit of strength he had. Everyone was counting on him, Riku, Roxas, Cloud, all of his people… he wouldn't fail them. He couldn't fail them! Let Ansem summon all the darkness his could. Sora was not going to fail!

Light pierced through the dark boulder and exploded out the top. Sora flew through the attack and smirked as he noticed Ansem's shocked face. The man was too surprised to block and Sora struck him straight in the chest, hurtling him towards the pit. Ansem's face was a mask of surprise as he fell.

"Fool! You think my own creatures will devour me?" he shouted, but even as he did, the tendrils of darkness began to wrap around his arms and legs. "What is this? I command you to stop!" The darkness reached up and slowly began pulling him under, like a quicksand pool claiming its victim.

Sora land softly on the ground before the pit and Riku and Roxas were able to stumble to his side. The farther Ansem sunk, the stronger they became. They watched piteously as the man clawed for freedom.

"The darkness knows no master," Sora told him. "It serves only itself and that it why it is always fated to lose to the light." He removed the Crown of Kings and stepped forward. "Farewell Ansem. You deserve the pain that is about to be bestowed upon you."

The Crown glowed in Sora's hand and turned into a ball of light. It hovered over their heads for a moment before floating over the pit. Ansem stared at it in horror as he was pulled under the dark muck. With an unintelligible shout that could have been a plea for help, Ansem was sucked under and eaten alive by the very power he sought to control.

The Crown of Kings changed from a pale white to a dark silver before plunging itself into the pit. There was a loud sound as if a whirlpool was collapsing in on itself and then the pit vanished with nothing more than a tiny pop. Cautiously, Riku stepped forward and stomped on the ground. It was solid.

"It's gone."

Suddenly, all three boys closed their eyes and took deep breaths as they felt their natural born powers returning to them. Sora allowed his legs to collapse underneath him and sighed. Riku sat next to him.

"Well, I guess that's that," he shrugged. "Right?"

"Stop Ansem, stop the darkness," Sora answered. "I'm exhausted. I want to crawl into bed and sleep for the next ten years."

"Me too," Riku agreed. "After we have sex."

Sora blinked and stared at him in disbelief. "Did you really just say that?"

"We've only done it once, Sora."

"Now is not the time to be seducing me!"

"We just saved the world; I thought it was the perfect time."

"Will you two stop talking about sex and seducing?" Roxas moaned. He had flung himself on the ground and was now hiding his face.

"What's wrong with you?" Riku asked.

"I promised Axel if we made it through this I would marry him."

Riku and Sora burst out laughing just as their friends raced into the courtyard, calling their names.

**The End**

**A/N: Well I told ya I'd finish it eventually and I did. If anyone still remembers this story after so long, I'll probably cry. I don't really know what else to say. I doubt you'll see anymore writing from me fanfiction wise after this, but who knows. I've been searching for a site where I can post my originals so if you're ever searching the net and see someone named "Staryday" it's most likely me. It could be someone else, but that's the name I tend to use everywhere, so who knows?**

**Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed and who cared enough to offer help and advice along the way. And major thanks to skyandland for being my one and only beta reader.**

**There are two epilogues after this. One is the official ending to the story and the other one was a discarded ending. I figured I'd post the discarded one just for fun.**

**Everyone have a lovely um… life, I guess. By!!**


	34. Epilogue: The New Era

**This is the official ending for the story Treasure**

**Epilogue: The Next Era**

Two months later, the Destiny Islands was well on its way to recovering. The dead had all been buried with honors and a day of mourning had been set aside every year to honor everyone who had been killed. The pirates left in Ansem's crew were nowhere to be found and all traces of him and Sephiroth had been eradicated from the cities. The brutal attacks were slowing becoming nothing more than a painful memory for the peaceful Destiny Islands.

Nearly a month after the attack, Sora and Roxas had both been crowned as rulers of the Destiny Islands. Sora was named the High King while Roxas held the title Crowned Prince. They worked together in perfect harmony, always putting their people first.

After the crowning ceremonies, Roxas and Axel were finally married. Axel made sure the wedding was as flashy as possible with a lot of shiny decorations and pyrotechnics. Everyone throughout the islands was invited and everyone invited showed up. Sora, playing Roxas' best man, had laughed, while Riku, playing Axel's best man, was grateful Sora hated big celebrations like this unless it was for someone else.

Riku and Sora had quietly gotten married a few days after Axel and Roxas returned from their honeymoon (from which Roxas came back limping and scowling). They had a private ceremony with only their closet friends. Cloud had stood as Sora's best man while Leon had been forced to be Riku's and Riku had been forced to accept it.

With both Princes now married off to people of the same sex, the Islanders began to worry where their next heir would come from. Their fears were put to rest when one day it was announced that Princess Naminè was pregnant with her husband, Demyx's, child. Sora and Roxas both agreed the new child would become their heir.

With that out of the way, everything on the Islands settled down and gradually returned to normal. It was then that Cloud and Leon decided it was time to go. They quietly snuck out of their tower room just before dawn, when the world is darkest. No one saw Cloud's wings profiled in the sky as he silently flew himself and Leon down to the docks.

"Woo! I'm excited to be leaving!" Yuffie waved as the two men joined their crew.

"Shut up and get to work," Leon ordered. Yuffie stuck her tongue out at him.

"This is a very beautiful place," Aerith commented, staring out at the sleeping city. "And so peaceful."

"Yes, they bounced back remarkably well," Cloud replied softly.

"It's cool and all, but I'm ready to leave. I want to be back on the sea adventuring again!" Yuffie leapt up on the ship's rail, facing the ocean. "Being a hero was fun and all but now it's just annoying. I'm a pirate not a saint."

"Aye, girly's right," Cid grumbled as he joined them on deck. "Time to get out of this pacifist place and find us a good fight."

"Oh, and some rich snobs to rob! That's always fun."

"Will you two stop acting like children?" Aerith scolded. The three began bickering amongst themselves.

"Are you sure you want to come with us?" Leon whispered to Cloud. Cloud smiled and glanced at him.

"If you ask me that one more time, I'm going to stay."

Leon smiled slightly. "Then I won't ask again."

"Will you get mad if I ask you all to stay?" Sora's voice suddenly came from the darkness.

Leon and Cloud looked up and Sora tossed off his dark cloak. Beside him, Riku did the same. Down the way, Axel and Roxas were standing together. When they caught Cloud's eye, they waved a silent farewell, not wishing to intrude.

Sora looked up at Cloud with puppy-dog eyes. "Please stay?"

Cloud thumped his head. "You're a King now, Sora. Start acting like one."

The brunette's smile was sad. "I'm really going to miss you. All of this happened because you found us and brought us here."

"I may have brought you here, but you did everything else on your own," Cloud patted Sora's head. "You will do fine, stupid kid."

Sora laughed. He pulled out a piece of parchment from his sleeve and handed it to Cloud. "Just in case you ever want to come back."

Cloud pocketed the map and squeezed Sora's shoulder one last time. Sora smiled and threw his arms around him. "Goodbye."

Next to them, Riku glanced at Leon. "I really hope you don't expect me to hug you."

"Try it and I'll kill you."

Riku grinned. "Don't be in a rush to come back. I'm going to enjoy not being tortured."

Leon rolled his eyes. "I go easy on you and you still whine like a baby. It's a good thing Sora has that red haired freak around, you're hopeless."

"Hey, I can kick your ass anytime anywhere!"

Without warning, Leon grabbed Riku's wrist and threw him over his shoulder right into the water. Riku surfaced and spit water from his mouth, glaring at Leon through wet bangs.

"Riku!" Sora exclaimed and ran to the dock edge.

Leon smirked. "You can try again when we come back."

With nothing more to say, Leon and Cloud leapt onto the ship. Aerith, Yuffie, and Cid shouted farewells and waved vigorously as Sora pulled Riku from the water. Slowly, the "borrowed" fishing ship pulled from the docks and left the harbor. Riku and Sora sat on the docks and waved goodbye, Roxas and Axel joining them, until the ship was out of sight.

As the boat vanished, the sun rose over the horizon and the two couples decided to stay and watch the sunrise together. It wasn't long before fishermen started waking up and coming to prepare their ships for the day. One such man stepped onto the docks and gaped in horror before running up and down the wooden docks shouting up a storm.

"We should reimburse him for the ship they took," Sora commented.

"That would be fair," Roxas agreed. He held a hand out and pulled Sora to his feet.

"Ready to rule the next era of the Destiny Islands?"

Sora grinned. "Let's do it."

The four turned and walked calmly towards their palace.

**The End**


	35. Discared Ending Just for fun

**This is the discarded ending for Treasure. Haha, my beta, skyandland, was glad when I threw this ending out.**

**Epilogue Discarded Version**

Roxas opened his eyes when he felt a hand placed on his forehead. He smiled up at Axel, the redhead grinning down at him. His husband took the seat next to him and watched all the maids running in and out of the room in front of them. From inside they could hear pained screams and encouraging shouts.

Roxas rested his head on Axel's shoulder, smiling as he observed the bustle around them. Axel wrapped their hands together, absently playing with their golden wedding bands. He kissed Roxas' forehead just as the cries of pains stopped and the screams of a new born baby replaced them.

"Everything sounds good," Axel whispered."

"Yeah," Roxas sighed. "The new heir has been born."

"It's a shame we can't have kids."

Roxas chuckled. "I wouldn't trust you raising children even if we could."

"Hey!"

The doors opened and the doctor stepped out, removing her over-gown. "King Roxas, King Axel, you may go in now."

"How is my sister?" Roxas asked, standing up.

"She's resting comfortably," the doctor reported. "The birth was perfect with no complications. Lord Demyx was the only one to faint from exhaustion. He has been moved to a private room."

Roxas rolled his eyes while Axel laughed. "I'll go check on him. You go see your new nephew and future heir."

"Thank you," Roxas leaned in for a brief kiss before disappearing into his sister's room.

Naminè was sitting in bed, propped up by numerous pillows and wrapped in thick blankets. Her hair was matted down with sweat but her face was positively glowing. Roxas was sure he had never seen look as beautiful as sure she did now. With a loving smile, Roxas carefully sat next to her on the bed.

"My husband didn't have the stomach for child birth," Naminè joked lightly, cuddling a bundle blanket close to her chest.

"I think that's why men aren't allowed in the delivery room," Roxas mused. "Ah, you learned your lesson. Next time, he'll wait outside with us."

"Ha," the girl laughed. "As if I'll go through this pain twice."

Roxas laughed and kissed her forehead, hugging her lovingly. Without a word, Naminè carefully passed the newborn baby to her older brother.

"I haven't decided on a name."

Carefully, Roxas moved the blanket and revealed the child's face. He sucked in a deep breath and felt tears prick the corner of his eyes. The little boy's face was round and chubby with cheeks that just begged to be pinched. His eyes were as blue as the sky and blinked owlishly up at Roxas. A full head of brown hair peeked from overtop the blanket and Roxas ran his hand through the softness.

"Sora."

Naminè blinked. "Sora… you mean, after the boy who saved the Destiny Islands? I never had the honor of meeting him."

"They look exactly alike," Roxas explained. "The blue eyes must run in this family." Roxas leaned over and kissed Sora lovingly. The baby made a soft cooing noise at him. "Welcome to the world, Sora."

***

"Did you see that, Riku? They named the baby after me."

"I was watching, Sora. It was nice of them."

Sora smiled and jumped into the ocean, loving the sound of the splash he made. Along the beach, a few children looked up curiously but went back to playing when they didn't see anyone. Riku calmly floated down from the sky and landed on the sand near Sora. He held out his hand and Sora immediately ran over top the water to grab it.

"I'll bet the next one's named Riku."

Riku smiled. "According to the Princess, there isn't going to be a next one."

"Riku, Sora." Two figures appeared before them and the lovers turned to face the Land and Water. "A child is making a wish to the water."

Sora nodded and closed his eyes while opening his mind. He allowed all the noise around him to fade away until all he could hear was the sad voice of a little girl as she prayed. When she was finished, Sora opened his eyes and turned to Riku.

"Her older brother fell out of a tree and hit his head. He won't wake up."

Riku turned to the Land. "We can fix this?"

The Land nodded. "All you need do is will it."

Riku and Sora nodded and called up a breeze, allowing the wind to blow them to the little girl's house. She was sitting inside next to a bed that held a ten year old with a bandage wrapped tightly around his head. A tiny bit of blood soaked through and the boy did not stir in his sleep. His sister held his hand closely as she valiantly tried not to cry.

Sora squeezed Riku's hand reassuringly. "All you have to do is wish it."

Riku nodded and closed his eyes. With all his heart and the sincerity he could muster, he wished the little boy would wake up and be alright. He felt the power of the land flow through his body and sighed in content. As Riku blinked his eyes open, so did the little boy.

Sora smiled as he rested his head on Riku's shoulder. The little girl let out a cry of joy and wrapped her brother in a hug. A breeze rustled through the trees and Riku and Sora allowed themselves to be swept away. They ended up back at the palace, watching through the window as Demyx and Axel were allowed to meet baby Sora. Demyx was just handing the baby to Axel when Roxas bent over, distracting the redhead with a nice view of his butt. Naminè screamed as he almost dropped the newborn. Demyx hurriedly grabbed his son back.

Sora shook his head as he watched Roxas lecture Axel from the window. "Thank goodness that guy can't have kids."

Riku laughed and wrapped his arms around Sora, kissing his neck lovingly. "I couldn't agree more." he lifted his head slightly. "A sailor is making a prayer."

"Being guardians for this place is going to be a full time job, isn't it?"

"Looks like," Riku smiled as Roxas finished his lecture with a sharp slap to the back of Axel's head. "Come on, Sora. We can watch them later."

"Okay."

Riku jumped from the window, floating towards the ground. Sora looked over his shoulder one last time and was surprised when his eyes locked directly with Roxas'. He smiled at his cousin, whispering under his breath, before following his love towards the beach.

Confused, Roxas stepped to the window and stared out. Axel came up behind him and looked over his shoulder.

"See something interesting?"

Roxas leaned back. "No, nothing at all."

Axel shrugged and wandered back to Naminè and Demyx, trying to convince them to give him a second chance at holding the baby. Roxas leaned against the window frame and couldn't stop the goofy smile that slid across his face.

"Thanks Sora. I'm glad you're happy," Roxas whispered.

Down on the beach, Sora and Riku laughed as they granted another wish.


End file.
